CSM on the rise of Al Qaeda in North Africa

Interesting reading in this morning's Christian Science Monitor. This passage seemed a little . . . weird, though:

The founders of GSPC fought alongside other militants in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. That battle not only gave rise to Al Qaeda, but dispersed fighters throughout the Middle East. The GSPC was formed in 1998 when its leaders split from Algeria's Armed Islamic Group, known by its French initials GIA. In 1993, a top member of Al Qaeda met with Islamist fighters starting to organize in Algeria and Mr. bin Laden gave factions of the GIA $40,000, Lawrence Wright reported in his new book, "The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the road to 9/11."

The GIA launched a brutal insurgency against the Algerian government in 1992 after the government canceled elections because an Islamist party was set to win. The GIA crumbled under intense pressure from Algerian security services and amid internal divisions about their harsh tactics, but not until at least 150,000 people had died.

Their brutality, particularly to civilians, drew criticism from the global jihadi community, including from bin Laden, which felt they were giving "holy warriors" a bad name. By the end of the 1990s, experts say, GIA had fallen out with Al Qaeda and other jihadi groups. [emphasis added - ccw]

Riiiiiight.

I think it was more a case of the GIA being like that manager who quietly stops showing up for work one day and then, a week later, employees are informed that "Jim left the company to pursue other interests."

And am I the only who can imagine that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are reading this and thinking, "Great! All we have to do is let the jihadis kill 150,000 people and then they'll quit! Finally - our soldiers can die for something meaningful."

I dunno - too cheap a shot there? Let me know in the comments. I'm only a click of the mouse away.

UPDATE: Did I say Reid and Pelosi? I meant the Rotund Oracle. It ain't a cheap shot now.