Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat

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The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (French Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat, also known as 'Group for Call and Combat') is an Algerian Islamist guerrilla group which aims to overthrow the Algerian state and institute an Islamic state. The GSPC is considered a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.

The GSPC was founded by Hassan Hattab, a former Armed Islamic Group (GIA) regional commander who broke with the GIA in the late 1990s over its policy of mass-murder of civilians. Abdelmadjid Dichou is reported to have headed the group after him. In October 2003, Nabil Sahraoui, having apparently taken over the group, announced his alignment with al-Qaeda and Mullah Omar, saying that they "strongly and fully support Osama bin Laden's jihad against the heretic America as well as we support our brothers in Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Chechnya".

A splinter of Hattab's group, the Free Salafist Group (GSL), has been linked with the kidnapping and ransom of German tourists in Algeria, although he has disavowed the random killings of civilians and foreigners practiced by the GIA. However, despite these claims, the GSPC "group eventually returned to killing civilians" [1]. The Free Salafist Group (GSL) splinter group has turned to drug running and smuggling, and appears to have devolved into a criminal gang.

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Timeline of GSPC Related Events

On June 20, 2004, Sahraoui was reported killed in gun battles with Algerian Army, along with many other high-level members of the group [2].

In Autumn 2004 Sahraoui was succeeded by Abou Mossaab Abdelouadoud (aka Abdel Malik Daroqedel, aka Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud). The GSPC Deputy Head Amari Saifi was imprisoned for life in June 2005.

On February 1 2006, the Algerian daily Liberte reported that spiritual leader Ahmed Abou al-Baraa (real name Ahmed Zarabib) had been killed by Algerian government forces in Toudja on January 17 [3].

On March 30, 2006 Hassan Hattab, a founder of the group, called on its remaining members to accept the government amnesty. [4]

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Speculation about international links

European and Algerian officials have long speculated that the GSPC may be active outside Algeria.

Mohammad Bensakhria, called "al-Qaeda's most senior agent in Europe," was believed to be a GSPC leader. He was arrested in Spain in 2001.

In 2005 the GSPC is believed to have established ties with Abu Musab Al Zarqawi in Iraq (Asharq Alaswat 3 July 2005), and is reported to be active in Italy (Deutsche Welle, 15 July 2005). There are fears that the GSPC may begin to operate as a terrorist organisation across southern Europe. There are also fears that it is training new groups who may threaten north-east Mauritania [5].