Algeria: A Bulwark Against ISIS

With the Islamic State (ISIS) facing imminent defeat in its Libyan stronghold of Sirte, questions have arisen over where the group might seek refuge next. As the fight to push ISIS out of Libya intensifies, one country where ISIS has failed to gain a foothold is neighboring Algeria due to a firm stance by the Algerian military against jihadist cells in the country and a relatively strong central government.

“There is no ISIS in Algeria,” said Madjid Bougerra, Algeria’s Ambassador to the United States. “They have tried, but we have succeeded in countering all their efforts. Our security forces have, for the last two or three years, mobilized to secure our borders – be it on the east with Libya or in the southern part of the Sahel region. And believe me, ISIS does not exist in Algeria,” he continued.