The GIA Assassinated the Monks After Discovering a GPS Spy-Watch Carried by the French Negotiator, Witness

Former member in the exterminated Islamist Armed Group (GIA) Abdelhakim Abu Shayma evokes in his book “The GIA From the Inside”- which Echorouk tends to edit sooner- details of the kidnapping and the assassination of 7 French monks in March 1996 by the GIA.

This witness comes to challenge again the campaign led by French media tending to libel facts and affect the image of Algeria to the local and international public opinion.

The author says the GIA, in the era of Emir Djamel Zitouni, declared war on France to force Paris giving up supporting the regime in Algeria. The GIA conducted attacks on the Paris tube in 1995, raided the French Embassy and killed its French guardians, and then hijacked an Air France aircraft from Algiers International Airport. All these acts were ordered by Zitouni, who wanted to invade France. 

Zitouni aimed also through such attacks to press France to release GIA prisoners arrested after the Paris tube bombings. Yet, he prepared the kidnapping of the French monks in Tibhirine Monastery to blackmail French authorities and force them pressing Algeria to release GIA prisoners, including Abdelhak Laayada, the father founder of the group. 

The Monastery of Tibhirine used to host 15 monks, who were secretly offering medical help to wounded elements pertaining to GIA’ squadron of Kasr El Boukhari, headed by Younes Attia, who promised the monks not to hurt them, in exchange. 

Zitouni had broken this pact and decided to conduct the kidnapping operation, managing to abduct 7 of the 15 monks, as the rest were in the other room of the Monastery and were not seen. 

A GIA envoy, carrying an audio message of the abducted monks, was sent to the French Embassy to Algiers to list the armed group conditions in exchange of the release of the kidnapped. Zitouni’s envoy was received by the Ambassador. Then, rounds of negotiations started, and ultimately, concluded by agreeing on sending the French Embassy’s military attaché to the GIA strongholds IN Tala Jen locality, in the mountains of Bougherra, in Blida province. The monks were held there too.  

Yet, the GIA elements discovered that the French official carried a spy watch in his hand, equipped with GPS system. Zitouni decided to stop negotiations, and then ordered to slaughter the monks. 

Later on, the Army forces conducted a raid on the stronghold of GIA and managed to control it, after a fierce armed clash, while Zitouni fled and liquidated by the Islamists Armed League, a dissent group from GIA.