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Northwest Africa
In Libya, Leader Moammar Gadhafi reportedly sponsored terrorists
who bombed a jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, and a disco favored
by GIs in Germany, but has kept Muslim radicals in check at home. He
is said to be targeted by al-Qaida-supported groups, such as the
Libyan Fighting Group, which seeks a purer Islamic government. A
Canadian-based al-Qaida cell including Ahmed Ressam, the Algerian
stopped at Port Angeles in December 1999 carrying bomb ingredients,
has been linked to a possible co-conspirator in Mauritania. Ressam,
who has said the bomb was to be used to attack the Los Angeles
airport, allegedly had ties to the Armed Islamic Group — a
guerrilla movement known by its French initials, G.I.A. — involved
in a Muslim insurgency that has left 100,000 Algerians dead.
Area: Algeria (919,000 square miles); Libya (679,400
square miles); Mauritania (398,00 square miles).
Population: Algeria (31.7 million); Libya (5.1 million);
Mauritania (2.6 million).
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