AQMI guerrillas who are fighting in Mali have become the focus of the purported battle against Al-Qaeda in North Africa.
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African al-Qaeda group says it kidnapped Italians
Big News Network.com
Tuesday 29th December, 2009
An African group with ties to Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of an Italian couple.
An African group with ties to Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of an Italian couple.
The pair was kidnapped in Mauritania. It is not known where they were taken to.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has said it took part in the kidnapping in retaliation for what it described as Italy's crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Italy has 3,150 troops in Afghanistan and 91 troops in Iraq. It announced this month it would send an additional 1,000 troops to Afghanistan in 2010.
Italy has already said it will not negotiate with the al-Qaeda group over the kidnapping, with Italy's Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, responding to the news of al-Qaeda involvement by saying that Rome has no direct contact with any representative of the group and did not plan to negotiate with a terrorist organisation.
Frattini said there would be no change in Italy's policy in Afghanistan.
The kidnapped Italians, Sergio Cicala and his wife Philomene Kaboree, disappeared in southeast Mauritania on December 18th.
Afterward, Mauritanian authorities found the couple's car abandoned and riddled with bullet holes.
Mauritanian security forces said last week they had arrested a suspect in the kidnapping from neighbouring Mali.
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