Over the last several weeks, thousands of troops have been combing the eastern mountains, seeking suspected rebel camps. Aerial reconnaissance and interrogations of captured rebels has led the army to believed they know where GSPC (Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat) camps are. The GSPC has worked with al Qaeda in the past it and it was feared that some al Qaeda may have fled from Afghanistan to Algeria. Dozens (or more) of the al Qaeda in Afghanistan were Algerian, as are many members of al Qaeda world wide. The operations in the east have left at least 33 rebels dead and many more family members of rebels captured. Because of the war on terror, GSPC (and the smaller GIA) have lost contributions from overseas, and support from many Algerians at home.
