Armed Islamic Group (GIA)
Name(s). Armed Islamic Group, GIA
Goals and Objectives. GIA is a loose-knit radical Islamic organization in Algeria. While it is unclear whether the group has a central authority or is a collection of smaller affiliated bands, it apparently seeks to overthrow the secular government of Algeria and replace it with a fundamentalist state based on Islamic law.
Favored Tactics. GIA is best know for slitting the throats of its victims, but it has employed a variety of other methods, including bombs, targeted assassinations, and airline hijackings.

Brief History. GIA formed in early 1993 after the secular Algerian government cancelled elections apparently because the Islamic party, Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), was poised to win. (GIA split from Islamic Salvation Army, the armed wing of FIS.) Returning Algerian veterans of the Afghan war against the Soviet Union united with disparate radical Islamic groups to form GIA. Since 1993, the group has attacked the government and the military, but also conducted brutal massacres of civilians and foreigners in Algeria, sometimes slaughtering entire villages.

On December 31, 1997, the group reportedly killed 400 Algerian civilians in a small town in the space of a few hours. Several recent accounts allege, however, that some massacres may have been conducted by, or with the complicity of, the Algerian government. The group’s activity has diminished because of a military crackdown and widespread popular revulsion to the killing of civilians. Since 1998, GIA has apparently been eclipsed by the better organized though smaller offshoot called Salafist Group For Call and Combat.

Favored Tactics. GIA is best know for slitting the throats of its victims, but it has employed a variety of other methods, including bombs, targeted assassinations, and airline hijackings.

Anti-American Activities. Although GIA targeted French and other European interests in both Europe and Algeria, there is only one instance where the group has directly threatened U.S. interests. In 1999, Ahmed Ressam, a supposed member of the GIA, was arrested while on route from Canada to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport.

Areas of Operation. GIA operates mainly within the borders of Algeria. It has reportedly raised funds and conducted attacks in Western Europe through Algerian expatriate communities. In 2002, a French court convicted two GIA members for a series of bombings that took place in France in 1995.

Strength and Composition. GIA’s membership is predominantly Algerian Islamic militants. It is difficult to estimate the size of GIA because it is less cohesive than many other organizations. The group’s strength has apparently decreased substantially from its peak in the mid-1990s, but there is disagreement about the current number of members. The State Department estimates that the group’s strength is now "probably fewer than 100."The International Institute for Strategic Studies puts its overall strength at "less than 1,500," divided into cohorts of 50-100.

Connections With Other Terrorist Organizations. There is evidence of connections between GIA and Al Qaeda. In mid-2002, the London-based Arabic newspaper Al Hayat cited Algerian sources alleging that an Al Qaeda operative visited Algeria to arrange cooperation between GIA and GSPC. In September 2002, a captured GIA leader stated that in the mid-1990s, Osama bin Laden provided financial assistance to GIA.52 It is possible that many Algerian members of Al Qaeda are or have been associated with GIA.

State Supporters and Other Sources of Funding. According to Patterns of Global Terrorism, 2002, GIA has no known sources of external support. As noted above, captured GIA members have asserted that bin Laden provided funding to GIA in the mid-1990s. The group reportedly receives aid from Algerian expatriates in Western Europe and Canada.

Originally Designated as an FTO. October 8, 1997.

Re-Designated. October 8, 1999, October 5, 2001.

Issues of Concern for Congress. The apparent connections between GIA and Al Qaeda make this group of particular importance to the United States in the war on terrorism. The flow of funding to GIA from expatriates in Western Europe and Canada raises questions of whether or not efforts to counter terrorist financing are succeeding.