1. Please forgive the lack of pixels in these photos, these are screenshots from a video filmed on VHS dated for Sept. 2005, but I am trying to identify the group and context here. I believe this is Mokhtar Belmokhtar's katiba inside Mali after a raid in Algeria or Mauritania pic.twitter.com/qzixWimVKO
— Caleb Weiss (@Weissenberg7) April 30, 2020
A few weeks ago I tweeted out some screenshots from an interesting GSPC video ostensibly from Sept. 2005 that I found online. While there are still some unknowns regarding the short film, the video, likely one of, if not the first from Mali, still offers some unique insights into early al Qaeda operations and activities in the Sahel. While the video itself does not give a location (only the 'Sahara'), the terrain shown in the video is very much similar to what is found in northern Mali.
This area was also heavily utilized by the GSPC as a rear base at the time. A small campsite and makeshift training camp and shooting range can also be seen in the video.
Based on the timeline given in the video,i.e September 23, 2005, as seen briefly from the VHS tape, it is safe to assume that the footage was filmed on or around that date. Additionally, it is likely the video details the aftermath of the infamous June 2005 GSPC assault on a Mauritanian military base near Lemgheity that left 15 soldiers dead. This is based off three main pieces of evidence from the video: namely the timing of the release, the group itself shown in the video, and that "spoils" shown in the film match with news reports of the raid.
Searching in Arabic and French, I have so far been unable to find reports of GSPC attacks in southern Algeria in mid-2005 to suggest that the video is showing the aftermath of a raid there. If anyone has any knowledge of such events, please do reach out or send my way on Twitter.
At the beginning of the film, the video explicitly states "The Media Department of the Soldiers of Ribat" or Jund al Murabitoon. It is possible that this could be one of the first uses of the name by Mokhtar Belmokhtar's (MBM) group operating in the area. This area was the GSPC's 'Zone 9,' which referred to areas in southern Algeria and the surrounding states, and was well within MBM's area of operations. Moreover, the jihadist commander led the Lemgheity raid. Assuming this video is indeed the aftermath of the raid, these are likely MBM's men.
Belmokhtar also seemingly had a knack for reusing names for his katibas, such as Katibat al Mulathameen, or the Masked Brigade, for both his katiba within GSPC and for when he split from AQIM in late 2012. So when MBM and Ahmed el Tilemsi (and others) formed the more well-known Al Murabitoon in 2013, this could have originated from historically using the name in the region.
As for the "spoils," GSPC lays out a scene in which the jihadists are parading around several Toyota trucks that match the description of what was reported taken from the Mauritanian base. Six trucks were reported captured from the attack and while GSPC shows more than six trucks in the video, it is possible that either (a) some of the trucks were already in their possession or (b) they captured more than what was reported.
And perhaps unsurprisngly, the film also makes clear it is an al Qaeda production with audio from both Osama bin Laden and Abdullah Azzam playing at various parts throughout.
Quote from Osama bin Laden (also note the 'حفظه الله' or 'God protect him,' meaning he was still alive at this point.)
Quote from Abdullah Azzam along with the vehicles taken as "spoils."
The video also appears to make a surprising cameo: Talha al Mauritani/Libi/Azawadi (or most recently, Barabouchi). Talha was appointed the commander of AQIM's Katibat al Furqan in late 2013 after its former emir, Abdallah al Shinqiti, was killed during the French intervention in Mali. Prior to that, Talha was a commander within Yahya Abu al Hammam's force that controlled Timbuktu during al Qaeda's occupation. He was even featured prominently in this Al Jazeera documentary from the city. It is widely reported that Talha, a Mauritanian that grew up in Libya, joined GSPC/AQIM in 2006.
First noticed by analyst Héni Nsaibia, an individual featured in the video looks strikingly similar to Talha. See these photos for comparison: the first being from the 2005 video and the last two being from a 2015 AQIM video. The facial features, mouth, brows, nose, and beard pattern all appear to match. If this is indeed Talha, this means he joined GSPC at least a year prior to what is generally reported.
The only named individual in the video is a one Taher Abu Saad, but I have yet to find anything regarding a GSPC fighter/commander of this name. If anyone knows anything about this individual, please let me know.
- Caleb