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= Shooting of Soliman =

The shooting of Soliman is a violent incident occurred on January 3 , 2007 in the Tunisian region of Solimansouth-east of Tunis . He opposes the security forces to an armed group calling itself " Assad Ibn Fourat's army" and initially qualified by the government as "dangerous criminals". A previous shootings involving this same group had already taken place on December 23 , 2006 placing it in a context of jihadist terrorism and anarchist-insurgent Islamist militancy.

Presented at first as a case of great banditry, a phenomenon little known in the country, the Tunisian and international press quickly manages to point the group's link with Islamist terrorism of the Salafist type established in the Maghreb in the context of the - September 11 , especially on the territory of neighboring Algeria , from where the group composed mainly of Tunisians infiltrated.

For the French political scientist Vincent Geisser, this emergence of violent international Islamism in Tunisia would mark a break with Tunisian political Islamism, repressed in the 1990s through the Ennahdha movement.According to him, this development would be the result of the "strategy of systematic repression of opponents" that would develop on the sidelines of political parties while allowing the government to justify the security strategy in place in the eyes of Westerners 1.

Apart from the bombing of the Ghriba against the synagogue of Djerba in spring 2002, the country had never been targeted by the Islamist movement. But, like other Arab societies, Tunisia sees the return of the hijab, the rise of religiosity and the success of religious programs and several hundred young Tunisians have enlisted under the banner of jihad in Iraq 2. Following the 2011 revolution, members of the Assad Ibn Fourat army are liberated and express themselves in the Tunisian Salafist movement.

Summary 

[masquer]

·        1Process

o    1.1Preparation

o    1.2First hanging

o    1.3Operation

·        3Reactions

·        4Series of lawsuits

·        5Notes and references

·        6External link

Procedure [ edit | change the code ]

Preparation [ edit | change the code ]

It is in an Islamic maquis not far from Tebessa, in eastern Algeria, that Lassaad Sassi receives the approval of his leaders of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) to infiltrate Tunisia to to create logisticsupport cells, to recruit and train future terrorists 3. He managed to convince four of his compatriots - Mohamed Hedi Ben Khlifa, Zouhair Riabi, Mohamed Mahmoudi and Tarak Hammami - and a Mauritanian native of the city of Nbaghia - Mohammadou Maqam Maqam aka "Chokri" - to accompany him. In the night of the 22ndApril 23 , 2006, the commando crosses the border and wins the Jebel Chambi , after four days of walking.

The next day, Sassi and Ben Khlifa go to Kasserine to supply the camp. A few days later, Hammami and Mahmoudi went to Sfax to try to find a cache 3but were arrested by security forces in Kasserine on April 27when they were in possession of grenades 4. Ben Khlifa then warns his brother-in-law installed in Sidi Bouzid to try to find a cache but without success. The group then made contact with members of a Salafist cell in Tunis, went to the capital in early June and finally found a hideout near Hammam Lif 3. During the summer and autumn, the group of about twenty members changes cache several times, staying in a restricted area, and initiates the manufacture of explosives by appearing to prefer the attack by car bomb as operating procedures against "vital infrastructures" of the Republic, "symbolic objectives" as well as "foreign interests" and "Tunisian and foreign personalities" 3.

It was then that about fifteen members of a Salafist cell in Sousse, aged between 25 and 30, for the most part, fearing having been discovered by the police, took refuge in a cave located in the Ain Massif. Tbornog, on the heights of Grombalia, at the end of November 2006 . At the beginning of December, the fusion takes place between the various groups and Sassi is proclaimed "emir" of the cell 3. The camp is a five-hour walk from the nearest road while a handful of fighters guard the hideout of Hammam Chott where are stored explosives, food and money.

First snap [ edit | change the code ]

According to Le Figaro January 11 , 2007, everything starts on December 23 around 18 h 30 at the entrance of Borj Cédria , a locality south of Tunis 5.

Silhouette of the Djebel Ressas massif where the group retreats at first

The occupants of a rental car refuse to comply with a control of the National Guard, which starts chasing the vehicle. The fugitives take refuge in a house in the locality of Bir El Bey, where they find armed companions 5. A first exchange of fire then takes place: two members of the group are shot dead, and two others arrested 6while two law enforcement officers are wounded, one seriously 7. According to a source close to the investigation, it would seem that it was the arrest of Osama Hajji, a Salafist linked to members of the Sousse cell, who put the police in the group's footsteps. . The police then surrounded the cache of Hammam Chott, where the militants would have opened fire.

After several hours of shooting, three policemen were wounded, two militants killed (including Zouhair Riabi), and a third arrested, while a last managed to flee 3. The other elements of the armed group manage to escape, and fall back into the wooded massif of Djebel Ressas 5. Meanwhile, the police find an abundance of provisions and a stock of weapons in the abandoned house. 3 5Called reinforcements, elite troops and armed forces, supported by helicopters, began to rake the area.

At the same time, an exceptional device, including police, the National Guard and the army, is deployed on the A1 motorway linking Tunis to the south of the country, while police checkpoints are set up at the entrances. major cities, to carry out checks 3 , 8, as well as around sensitive establishments such as hotels 7. The following day, a dispatch from the official Tunis Afrique Presse news agency evokes a clash between police and "a gang of dangerous criminals". Most Tunisian newspapers, including Al Chourouk and Le Quotidien 7, immediately mention a news item linked to international arms or drug trafficking . But some private newspapers, including the daily Essarih and Assabah, evoke the hypothesis of a terrorist group. This version is also favored by the Tunisian opposition 8. For their part, sources close to power privately admit that the clash involved Tunisian, Algerian and Mauritanian Islamists from Algeria 9. The daily Al-Hayat confirms for its part that "these armed men have infiltrated into the country from Algeria" 8.

Operation [ edit | change the code ]

On December 28, the army launched an operation in the Aïn Tbornog massif. However, the alert is given and Sassi orders his fighters to prepare to resist. They manage to repel the police until dusk while helicopters flying over the low-lying area can not locate them 3. As night falls, the group retreats to another mountain. The next day, assaulted again, Sassi decides to split his forces into four groups: the last two, strong of a dozen elements, must fall back on Sousse and the first two, which count a dozen fighters, must find refuge in Tunis. Inexperienced and disarmed, almost all members of the last three groups fall into the hands of the security forces in the hours or days that follow 3. One of them blew himself up at the time of his arrest, killing an army officer, while another was killed in unclear circumstances.

Further shots were also heard on the morning of December 31 Bab Saadoun, near the Tunis court. On the other hand, according to sources of the Tunisian opposition, several police stations and barracks of the gendarmerie would have been the target of attacks in the region of Kairouan, the objective of the attackers being to recover arms 10. However, this information could not be confirmed later.

Only the elements of the group of Sassi manage to pass through the cracks and win the village of Soliman after five days of racing. Sassi is killed during a clash, probably at the dawn of January 3rd . Rabia Bacha accompanied by Chokri goes towards 4 o'clock in the morning in the district of 1- June where live his parents 3 , 5.As Bacha prepares to enter his home, police hiding in the house opposite open fire. The exchange of fire will last two 5or even three hours 9according to sources.Bacha and Chokri slain, security forces then launch a final assault against the rest of the group: Ben Khlifa, Sahbi El Masrouki, Makram Jrid, Mehdi El Mejri and Riadh Miri waiting for the two men in a house in isolated construction at the entrance to the city 3. According to a testimony collected by Agence France-Presse, one of them was reported to have surrendered to this group of five men and four others were reportedly killed after violent clashes with the police, allegedly used a tank according to an eyewitness speaking on condition of anonymity 11. An amateur video taken during the events shows a Fiat - OTO Melara 6614 of the Tunisian army 12which is a light transport vehicle.

The newspaper Al Chourouk attributes the intensity of the shootings to the possession by this group of weapons including " machine-gun and RPG-type rocketlaunchers" and "the presence of well-trained or even combat-trained elements. and the handling of weapons for some " 13. In addition, the members of the group allegedly wore bullet-proof vests 13.

Reactions change the code ]

On 12 January, for the first time since the shooting, Interior Minister Rafik Belhaj Kacem officially speaks out and confirms most of the information disclosed by the Tunisian press . He described the group as "Salafist Terrorists" 19and said that all activists were Tunisians with the exception of one Mauritanian 20. He explained that the police were monitoring this group, six of whom had infiltrated from Algeria 19, and had waited for the cell to assemble before going into action with the help of the police. 'army 20, which confirms the Tunisian Embassy in France in January 2008 . It also states that "explosives, embassy situation plans and names of foreign diplomats accredited in Tunisia were seized by the police". 21However, he did not indicate the identity of the diplomats or countries whose embassies were targeted.He finally reported two dead and three wounded security forces and army units who clashed with gang members. 21The police system set up around Cape Bon is gradually lightened but many dams are maintained on the roads leading from Tunis to Hammamet 5.

As of 3 January, reports are circulating that the police have carried out dozens of arrests throughout the country 5. For the Progressive Democratic Party, these arrests were reported to have taken place in Soliman, in the southern suburbs of Tunis, Kef , Sidi Bouzid, Kasserine and Gafsa . In Bizerte, young men were reportedly arrested at some mosques, according to a statement from the local party 23. However, a government source denies this information on January 17, declaring it "irresponsible to indulge in unscrupulous speculation" 23.

Series of lawsuits [ edit | change the code ]

The alleged terrorists are charged on 8 September 24with the following charges 25: Ten charges are laid against 30 defendants aged between 22 and 42, of whom 29 face the death penalty. 24

Following the fall of President Ben Ali in 2011, a general amnesty benefits the 30 members of the group sentenced 30. The reconstruction of the facts, following the release of jihadist elements involved in the shooting of Soliman, after the revolution of 2011, lends itself to forms of media manipulation of the public opinion in order to make pass the attempt of jihadist insurrection for "a staging of a heroic epic" 31, thus preparing analogies with the propaganda of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State .

Notes and references [ edit | change the code ]

1.   ↑ " Vincent Geisser, CNRS researcher " [archive], on mfile.akamai.com ,January 5, 2007 (accessed July 23, 2017 )

2.   ↑ a , b , c , d and e Khaled A. Nasri, "Tunisia. Ben Ali settles his accounts », Telquel, 19 January 2008

3.   ↑ a , b , c , d , e , f , g , h , i , j , k , l , m , n , o , p , q and r Samy Ghorbal, " How the Salafists were neutralized " [archive], on unpleasant .com , January 7, 2008 (accessed July 23, 2017)

4.   A and b " Tunisia: jihadist trials of the group involved in clashes " [archive], on tunisiawatch.rsfblog.org , January 26, 2008

5.   ↑ a , b , c , d , e , f , g , h , i , j , k , l , m , n and o Arielle Thedrel, " Tunisia struggling with al-Qaeda " [archive], on lefigaro.fr , January 11, 2007 (accessed July 23, 2017 )

6.   A , b , c and d Sanaa Tamssnaoui, " La Salafiya makes its appearance in Tunisia" [archive], on today.ma , January 9, 2007 (accessed July 23, 2017 )

7.   ↑ a , b and c " Tunisia. [archive] Security forces continue to hunt down "a group of dangerous criminals" [archive], on tunisiawatch.rsfblog.org , January 3, 2007

8.   ↑ a , b and c Elisa Drago, " Mysterious shootings " [archive], on rfi.fr , January 4, 2007(accessed July 23, 2017 )

9.   ↑ a , b , c and d José Boy, " Repetitive shoots in the quiet Tunisia of Ben Ali " [archive], on liberation.fr , January 4, 2007 (accessed July 23, 2017 )

10.  Florence Beauge, " Second shooting in ten days on the outskirts of Tunis " [archive] , tunisiawatch.rsfblog.org , January 5, 2007

11.  "Shootings in Tunisia: the leader of a Salafist group eliminated", Agence France-Presse, January 9, 2007

12.  ↑ ( ar ) [video] Amateur video taken in Hammam Chott [archive] on Dailymotion

13.  ↑ a , b , c and d " Tunisia. [archive] The "Salafists" came from Algeria according to the press " [archive], on tunisiawatch.rsfblog.org , January 11, 2007

14.  ↑ " 25" dangerous criminals "killed by the police in Tunisia " [archive], ontunisiawatch.rsfblog.org , January 3, 2007

15.  " Tunisia denies that there were 25 dead in a shooting " [archive] , tunisiawatch.rsfblog.org , January 3, 2007

16.  ↑ "Péripéties and some places of the successful hunt for dangerous criminals ", Le Temps, January 7, 2007

17.  ↑ a and b "Shootings in Tunisia: an infiltrated gang of Algeria linked to the GSPC", Agence France-Presse, 11 January 2007

18.  ↑ a and b « Right of reply ... to the Tunisian Embassy in France » [archive], on jeuneafrique.com , January 14, 2008

19.  ↑ a and b " Tunisia. [archive] Embassies and foreign diplomats were targeted by the recently neutralized armed group " [archive], on tempsreel.nouvelobs.com ,January 12, 2007 (accessed July 23, 2017 )

20.  ↑ a and b "The cell dismantled in Tunisia was Islamist", Reuters, January 12, 2007

21.  ↑ a and b "Shootings in Tunisia: explosives and seized embassy plans", Agence France-Presse, January 12, 2007]

22.  ↑ a , b and c Salima Tlemçani, "Tunisia affected by terrorism", El Watan, January 6, 2008]

23.  A and b " Shootings in Tunisia: Tunis denies making mass arrests " [archive], on avmaroc.com , January 17, 2007 (accessed July 23, 2017 )

24.  A , b and c " Tunisia: 29 suspected terrorists charged with conspiracy against the State" [archive], on tunisiawatch.rsfblog.org , September 19, 2007

25.  ↑ a , b and c Abdelmajid Haouachi, "The case of Soliman at the time of the verdict", Realities , No. 1150, January 10, 2008

26.  ↑ " Tunisia: two Salafists sentenced to death and eight to life imprisonment " [archive], on tunisiawatch.rsfblog.org , December 30, 2007

27.  ↑ a and b «Tunisia: death penalty for one of the 30 Salafists tried in appeal», Agence France-Presse, 21 February 2008

28.  Olivier Michel, "Ben Ali:" We never refused criticism "", Le Figaro, November 9, 2007

29.  " Tunisia: nine jihadi salafists sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison " [archive] , tunisiawatch.rsfblog.org , February 11, 2008

30.  ↑ "Tunisia: release of all political prisoners, according to a lawyer," Associated Press, March 2, 2011

31.  ↑ a and b Seif Soudani, " Tunisia. [archive] A documentary on the Soliman affair is controversial " [archive], on the courierdelatlas.com , May 9, 2012 (accessedJune 14, 2017 )

32.  Sophie Janel, " A journalist at the Salafists " [archive], on slateafrique.com ,May 23, 2012 (accessed July 23, 2017 )

33.  ↑ " Zaghouan: arrest of 7 takfirists including an individual who participated in the events of Soliman " [archive], on businessnews.com.tn , August 19, 2015 (accessedJune 14, 2017 )

34.  ↑ " Sousse: arrest of terrorist leader Saber Ragoubi " [archive], on kapitalis.com ,August 24, 2016 (accessed June 14, 2017 )