Documentary: details on assassination of Tibhirine monks
A documentary about the assassination of French monks in Algeria shows that the National Popular Army has nothing to do with the crime which was perpetrated upon order from the terrorist group leader Djamel Zitouni.
The documentary was prepared by Severine Labat and Malik Ait Aoudia and will be broadcast on France 3 TV channel on Thursday. It reports details about the assassination and testimonies of terrorists, witnesses and monks who survived the massacre.
The story started in Tibhirine in the province of Medea. Mohamed Benali was the first witness in the kidnapping issue. He did not believe that he was still alive as he remembered how he was taken under threat. He said terrorists came on March 26th in 1996 and wanted to see Doctor Christian. Their leader who was called Abu Hareth had a beard and wore glasses.
Benali managed to help two monks to escape along with 15 guests. They had been hiding all the night in a neighboring forest while the terrorist group kidnapped the seven monks and left.
“When an armed terrorist group came and asked to see Doctor Christian, my wife woke me up. I stood up and I asked who was knocking on the door. I refused to open it.”
The masked terrorists entered in and forced the guard to accompany them to the room where the monks were sleeping. “They obliged them to go with them,” says the guard.
The terrorists cut contact with exterior world after they had kidnapped the monks
At that time, another monk wanted to enter the room as he did not know who was there. The guard made him a sign to not enter and run away.
The monk said the lights were off and terrorists cut the phone line. He escaped by miracle and had to spend the night out until the terrorists left.
The truth about the assassination has been used by French authorities to put pressure on Algeria. Yet, journalists came up with testimonies and facts which denied all the allegations after a year of work.
Terrorism victims who escaped death testify
The two journalists talked to a Spanish engineer who worked with foreign workers killed by terrorists. “They asked us if we were Muslim and insulted us. I was slaughtered on my neck but the army found me on the following day and saved me.”
General Abderrezak: “each time we killed a terrorist leader, we expected a worse response”
General Abderezzak gave technical details about military operations and said each time the army forces killed a senior member of terrorist groups, they expected a worse response.
Rare videos show terrorists’ barbarity
The documentary talks about the violent decade in Algeria when election results were banned. It shows videos of the man No 2 in the dissolved-Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) Ali Benhadj who called for “jihad.” It also shows rare images of massacres and a terrorist attack on the National Gendarmerie forces.
Sid Ali Benhadjer: “the decision of murdering foreigners was justified by the 1993 communiqué”
Sid Ali Benhadjer, a leading member at the Islamic Armed Group (GIA) in Medea said the massacres were not anarchical and targeted everyone who “enters the battle.” He believes that the killing of the monks was justified by a warning communiqué. “We issued a communiqué and we had to implement it.”
Benhadjer ended his terrorist activity on July 16th in 1996. He told the journalists he decided to kill 12 Croatian nationals because they did not respect the GIA’s decision which orders to murder any foreign in Algeria after December 1st, 1993. He says Zitouni’s objective was to to kill the monks and he was against that. “I told him they are good people even if they were not Muslims.”
Medea prefect: “the area was dangerous”
Medea’s prefect said the province became dangerous at that time as the GIA prevented any social activity.
Teissier: the embassy asked me to identify monks’ voice in GIA’s tape
Archbishop Henri Teissier of Algiers said the French ambassador in Algeria asked him to listen to a tape issued by the GIA to identify the monks’ voice.
Doctor Christian devoted his life to God and Algeria
Doctor Christian wrote a moving letter in which he said he devoted his life to God and Algeria.
Laid Chabou: “I was there when Zitouni ordered to slaughter the monks”
“They believed that they would be closer to God if they kill people. They loved killing,” says the man No 2 of the GIA, Laid Chabou.
The monks refused to leave Algeria although their safety was threatened by terrorists.
Hattab: “Zitouni called me and told me he slaughtered the monks”
Former leader of the Salafist Group of Preaching and Fighting (GSPC) Hassan Hattab said in the documentary that Zitouni called him and informed him that he killed the monks. “I told him we cannot continue working together anymore.”
Zitouni mobilized a former worker at the embassy to negotiate with France
The GIA contacted the French embassy in Algiers and sent Abdellah to hold secret negotiations with the ambassador for more than a month. He transmitted the monks’ tape.
Abdellah was a former driver at the embassy. He is the brother of the man who embezzled French Airbus aircraft on December 24th in 1994.
Abu Imene: “I attended the slaughtering operation”
Abu Imene was among the terrorists who kept watch on the monks as they were held hostage. He said they refused to eat and fell ill shortly before their death. Zitouni made the decision of killing them on May 21st. “Abu Nouh, Rachid Oukali, Abdelghani and Abu Haithem were in charge of the operation. We did not shoot the monks because we did not have enough ammunition. They were all slaughtered with a knife.”
Abu Mohamed: “we cu the monks’ heads because we could not carry their bodies in the car”
Abu Mohamed, a senior member of the GIA said Zitouni decided to cut the monks’ heads because it was not easy to take their bodies to the car. “We put them in the car and I could not drive due to their bad smelling,” he said.
He added that the bodies were buried in Bouguerra Mountains in the province of Blida and he threw the heads on the street under a tree in Medea.
Zitouni issued the Communiqué No 44, saying “the French president and defense minister refused dialogue and negotiations with the GIA … we cut all the monks’ heads.”
Fethi Boukabous: “Zitouni changed the monks’ place each time on purpose”
Fethi Boukabous surrendered to security forces on May 15th. He said Zitouni transferred to monks to different places as security forces were searching for them.
The documentary described the French embassy in Algiers as “selfish.” It says the GIA was responsible for the killing of the monks upon order from Zitouni and mentioned the names of terrorists who were in charge of the operation.