Formed: October 1992

Disbanded: 2004

First Attack: August 1994: The GIA attacked the French Embassy in Algiers, leading to the deaths of 5 French officials (5 killed, unknown wounded).[1]

Last Attack: August 17, 2002: Militants suspected of having ties to the GIA attacked and killed 26 civilians in Bokaat Laakakcha, a secluded village in Chlef province, Algeria (26 killed, 0 wounded).[2]

Executive Summary

The Groupe Islamique Armé (GIA), or the Armed Islamic Group, was an Islamist extremist group based in Algeria. The group was founded in October 1992 as Islamic activists and radicals increasingly began to reject the political process as a means to establishing an Islamic state. The GIA sought to overthrow the Algerian government and establish an Islamic state ruled by Shariah law. The group quickly gained notoriety as Algeria’s most dangerous extremist group for its indiscriminate targeting of civilians and its campaign of high-profile terrorist attacks. In the mid 1990s, in its most active period, the group established bases in France, Belgium, Italy and Britain, as well as its native Algeria.  The GIA’s best known attacks included its hijacking of an Air France flight in Algiers in December 1994, a series of subway bombings in Paris in 1995, and a campaign of Algerian village massacres in the late 1990s.  In 1998, the GIA became divided over the issue of attacking civilians, and a group of militants, led by Hassan Hattab, split to form the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). Many GIA members eventually defected to join the GSPC or Al Qaeda (AQ). The group reportedly stopped operating in 2004, after the majority of its leadership was arrested or killed.

Group Narrative

The Groupe Islamique Armé (GIA), or the Armed Islamic Group, was an Islamist extremist group based in Algeria. Armed Islamist groups in the country began to consolidate after June 1991, when state security forces clashed with and arrested leaders of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), a moderate Islamic political party. These events suggested to many Muslim activists that they could not achieve their goal of an Islamic state through political means, a conclusion confirmed by the 1992 military coup that prevented the FIS from taking political office.[3] In October 1992, Algerians who had fought as part of the mujahideen in Afghanistan joined with Muslim activists and radicals to form the Armed Islamic Group. The GIA operated as a disorganized collection of armed groups until May 13, 1994, when the main armed groups in Algeria united under the GIA label. The newly consolidated group released a unification communique, which reaffirmed its commitment to Shariah law and the Salafi ideology, justified its implementation of violent jihad while rejecting peace processes with the government, and declared the GIA the only legitimate jihadi organization in Algeria.[4] The GIA developed a conflictual relationship with the FIS around 1993, as it rejected the party’s reliance on electoral processes to achieve an Islamic state. The organization clashed repeatedly with the Islamic Salvation Front, the armed branch of the FIS, until 1996, when the GIA killed top ISA leaders and activists.[5]

From its inception, the GIA sought to overthrow the Algerian government and establish an Islamic state ruled by Shariah law. The group quickly gained notoriety as Algeria’s most dangerous extremist group for its indiscriminate targeting of civilians, particularly journalists and intellectuals, and its campaign of high-profile terrorist attacks. The GIA’s tactics evolved over the course of its operation. From 1993, the organization launched a high-profile terror campaign that concentrated on targets in Algeria. From late 1994, beginning with the hijacking of an Air France flight, the group expanded to attack international targets and foreign interests in Algeria. In this period, the organization launched a series of deadly bombings of subway lines, markets, and tourist attractions in Paris.[6] Beginning in 1996, the GIA shifted to targeting Algerian civilians in large-scale brutal attacks that involved decapitation and throat-cutting and decimated entire villages.[7] In the mid 1990s, in its most active period, the group established bases in France, Belgium, Italy and Britain, as well as its native Algeria. During this time, the GIA also began publishing the Al-Ansar newsletter, one of the most prominent extremist publications.[8]

The GIA received much of its support from the Algerian diaspora in Europe, especially France, which provided financial and recruitment assistance.[9] The organization had few alliances with other Algerian militant groups, as many of them criticized the GIA’s killing of innocent civilians, particularly its brutal tactics against moderate Muslims.[10] The GIA was allegedly linked to Al Qaeda (AQ) through GIA leader Sheik Othman, designated by Osama bin Laden as a spiritual advisor for Algerian militant groups.

By the late 1990s, the Groupe Islamique Armé was severely weakened by internal divisions; several smaller militant groups splintered off from the GIA in protest of its massacres of civilians and moderate Muslims and alleged collaboration with Algerian security forces.[11] One such splinter group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, later known as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), quickly became the GIA’s main regional rival. In 1999, the Algerian government began granting official amnesty to fighters that renounced militant groups, leading many members to leave the GIA.[12] The organization suffered further losses in 2004, when Algerian police forces launched a widespread crackdown on local militant groups. Several top GIA leaders were killed or apprehended and over 400 militants from GIA and GSPC were arrested.[13] The group reportedly stopped operating in 2004, as the majority of its remaining members defected to join the GSPC or Al Qaeda (AQ), or form new, autonomous groups.[14]

[1] “Armed Islamic Group (GIA).” Parliament of Australia, n.d. Web. 24 July 2018.

[2] “Profile of Internal Displacement: Algeria.” Norwegian Refugee Council, 12 Feb. 2003. Web. 25 July 2018.

[3] Hafez, Mohammed M. 2000. “Armed Islamist Movements and Political Violence in Algeria,” Middle East Journal 54, no. 4. Autumn 2000.

[4] Hafez, Mohammed M. 2000. “Armed Islamist Movements and Political Violence in Algeria,” Middle East Journal 54, no. 4. Autumn 2000.

[5] Hafez, Mohammed M. 2000. “Armed Islamist Movements and Political Violence in Algeria,” Middle East Journal 54, no. 4. Autumn 2000.

[6] “Armed Islamic Group (GIA).” Parliament of Australia, n.d. Web. 24 July 2018.; Riding, Alan. “French Court Sentences 2 for Role in 1995 Bombings that Killed 8.” The New York Times, 01 Nov. 2002. Web. 25 July 2018.

[7] “Armed Islamic Group (GIA).” Parliament of Australia, n.d. Web. 24 July 2018.

[8] “ARMED ISLAMIC GROUP | United Nations Security Council Subsidiary Organs.” UN News Center, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 July 2016.

[9] “ARMED ISLAMIC GROUP | United Nations Security Council Subsidiary Organs.” UN News Center, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 July 2016.

[10]  Vriens, Lauren. “Armed Islamic Group (Algeria, Islamists).” Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 27 May 2009. Web. 25 July 2016.

[11] Botha, Anneli. “Chapter 2: Terrorism in Algeria.” Institute for Security Studies, June 2008. Web. 26 July 2018.

[12] Grant, Audra. “The Algerian 2005 Amnesty: The Path to Peace?” The Jamestown Foundation, 17 Nov. 2005. Web. 26 July 2018.

[13] “Armed Islamic Group (GIA).” Parliament of Australia, n.d. Web. 24 July 2018.

[14] “Armed Islamic Group (GIA).” Parliament of Australia, n.d. Web. 24 July 2018.

Disclaimer: These are some selected major attacks in the militant organization's history. It is not a comprehensive listing but captures some of the most famous attacks or turning points during the campaign.

August 1994: The GIA attacked the French Embassy in Algiers, leading to the deaths of 5 French officials (5 killed, unknown wounded).[1]

December 24, 1994: The GIA hijacked an Air France flight in Algiers, allegedly planning to crash it into the Eiffel Tower. GIA militants, disguised as security agents, executed three passengers before French commandos killed the attackers (3 killed, unknown wounded).[2]

July – October 1995: The GIA launched several deadly bombings using IEDs in France on Parisian subways, outdoor markets, a Jewish school, a high-speed train, and the Arc de Triomphe. The suspects were convicted for their crimes in France in 2002 (10 killed, 200+ wounded).[3]

March 27, 1996: The GIA kidnapped and executed 7 monks from the Tibehirine monastery in Algeria (7 killed, 0 wounded).[4]

August 1, 1996: The GIA bombed the home of the French Archbishop of Oran, Algeria, a strong supporter of inter-faith dialogue. Both the archbishop and his driver died in the attack (2 killed, 0 wounded).[5]

January 1997: The GIA was responsible for a campaign of Algerian village massacres leading up to Ramadan that resulted in the deaths of over 300 civilians. On the first day of Ramadan, GIA militants attacked two villages in the western Relizane province, killing 78 villagers (300+ killed, unknown wounded).[6]

July 5, 2002: On Algeria’s Independence Day, GIA bombed a major market place in Larbaa, 20 kilometers from the capital city (35 killed, 37 wounded).[7]

August 17, 2002: Militants suspected of having ties to the GIA attacked and killed 26 civilians in Bokaat Laakakcha, a secluded village in Chlef province, Algeria (26 killed, 0 wounded).[8]

[1] “Armed Islamic Group (GIA).” Parliament of Australia, n.d. Web. 24 July 2018.

[2] “ARMED ISLAMIC GROUP | United Nations Security Council Subsidiary Organs.” UN News Center, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 July 2016; Sof, Eric. “The hijacking of Air France flight 8969.” Spec Ops Magazine, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 July 2018.

[3] “Armed Islamic Group (GIA).” Parliament of Australia, n.d. Web. 24 July 2018.; Riding, Alan. “French Court Sentences 2 for Role in 1995 Bombings that Killed 8.” The New York Times, 01 Nov. 2002. Web. 25 July 2018.

[4] “ARMED ISLAMIC GROUP | United Nations Security Council Subsidiary Organs.” UN News Center, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 July 2016.

[5] Dejevsky, Mary. “Catholic bishop dies in Algeria bomb attack.” Independent, 03 Aug. 1996. Web. 25 July 2018.

[6] Daniszewski, John. “In Algeria, Islam’s Holy Month Is Killing Season.” Los Angeles Times, 01 Jan. 1998. Web. 25 July 2018.

[7] “ARMED ISLAMIC GROUP | United Nations Security Council Subsidiary Organs.” UN News Center, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 25 July 2016.

[8] “Profile of Internal Displacement: Algeria.” Norwegian Refugee Council, 12 Feb. 2003. Web. 25 July 2018.