CAIRO, Sept 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The Algerian government has decided to cooperate with the U.S. in an international alliance against terrorism, news agencies reported Friday.
The Algerian News Agency (APS) said that informed sources told it that Algeria would cooperate with the United States under the framework of "strategic consultation".
"This cooperation must be in all levels and forms," the source said, adding that it is only natural for Algeria to welcome the international anti-terrorism coalition initiated by the United States since it has itself been suffering from terrorism.
State media reported that the Algerian government handed over to Washington a list of 350 Islamic activists known to be abroad and whom Algerian intelligence believes are likely to have links to Osama Bin Laden, reported BBC's Online News Service.
Security services in Algeria claim to have information on individuals linked to bin Laden's Al Qaeda network and are eager to share this information with the U.S. government.
Sources in the Algerian government say the U.S. will be handed two documents.
One of them contains profiles of about 350 Algerian Islamic activists living abroad. The other is a list of 2,000 names of known members of two Islamic organizations allegedly accused of killing civilians in Algeria - the GIA and the GSPC.
Soon after Algeria said they were furnishing the U.S. government with names of Algerians abroad they believed were linked to bin Laden, Morocco deported to France an Algerian national whom Algeria accused of having links with an Islamic group supposedly supported by bin Laden, reported the BBC.
Moroccan security services said that Kamar Eddine Kherbane had been expelled following questioning about allegations of arms smuggling to Algeria.
He was due to be deported to Britain where he has been living as a political refugee for some years.
However, Moroccan authorities seem to have put Kherbane on a plane bound for Paris.
"By doing so the Moroccan government has ignored an extradition request by the Algerian authorities who stated that Mr. Kherbane was a wanted criminal and was linked to bin Laden", said the BBC.
Kherbane was a founding member of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in Algeria as well as being a former air force pilot and former Islamic activist in Afghanistan at the same time bin Laden was there fighting the Soviets.
A spokesperson for the British embassy in Rabat said that Kherbane was free to return to Britain.
He had been visiting his imprisoned brother-in-law in Morocco on a legitimate British travel document, contrary to reports he does not have a British passport.
