Whatever Moktar Belmoktar wanted from his attack on BP’s Amenas natural gas field is overshadowed by the larger result. He has fulfilled a 2006 al-Qaeda fatwa titled, “The Laws of Targeting Petroleum-Related Interests.” Written by a Saudi religious scholar, Abd Allah bin Nasir al-Rashid (aka Abdelaziz bin Rashid al-Anzi), the fatwa delivers a religious rational for the attack as well as a predictive indication of the economic results.
The Masked Brigade was formed by Al Qaeda's longtime strongman in the Sahara region, Moktar Belmoktar, a one-eyed Algerian. His violent attacks against the Algerian government in 1993 forced him to leave and take refuge in the desert. He became a member Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and recently declared he was leaving the terror network's Algerian branch to form his own group based in Mali. [FoxNews] Known as a smuggler, kidnapper, and generally bad guy, he was probably kicked out of AQIM after being accused of corruption. He formed the Masked Brigade in December. [TheMirror]
The Masked Brigade was already holding over a dozen captives before the BP gas field strike. Kidnapping is a lucrative trade, and that may have been Belmoktar’s motivation. We wonder if he ever read the 2006 fatwa.
The 60 page fatwa states, “The targeting of oil facilities is a legitimate means of economic jihad…one of the most powerful ways in which we can take revenge on the infidels.” It goes on to list the many effects of these attacks, among which are:
- Rising oil prices
- Rising cost of guarding petroleum facilities
- Reduction in the income of the energy companies and the producing state due to reduced production.
- A negative impact on the Western economy, especially America because it is so dependent upon oil.
The New York Times reports that the “BP Gas Field Attack Is a Blow to Algeria's Faltering Energy Sector.” The Wall Street Journal reports that oil futures hit a four month high, climbing to over $95 a barrel.” Belmoktar may be a thug, but he has made al-Qaeda proud; in spite of himself.
January 19, 2013 by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact
Comments