{"id":36654,"date":"2021-11-17T13:00:18","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/?p=36654"},"modified":"2021-11-16T19:16:32","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T19:16:32","slug":"algeria-new-book-provides-chilling-details-of-french-secret-organisation-oas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/en\/algeria-new-book-provides-chilling-details-of-french-secret-organisation-oas\/","title":{"rendered":"Algeria: New book provides chilling details of French secret organisation OAS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Writing under the pen name Edmond Fraysse, the author of Commando Delta: Confessions of an OAS Operative [currently available in French as Commando Delta \u2013 Confessions d\u2019un Soldat de l\u2019OAS], born in Fez, Morocco in 1939, says he \u201cattended the same schools as Arabs\u201d and \u201cwas familiar with their customs\u201d. For this highly motivated ex-paramilitary operative, patriotism inspired by French King Louis Philippe I\u2019s rule and the 1848 Revolution, at which time his ancestors were sent to Algeria, overrode all moral considerations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Persuaded of the benefits of colonisation and the imperative need to keep Algeria under French rule, Fraysse joined the OAS ranks at 21, right after completing basic training with the 18th airborne infantry unit. Now 82, Fraysse has taken the pains to publish a memoir in which he catalogues his experiences and attempts to shift the narrative around the group\u2019s far-right labelling, all the while effectively pulling readers into his world.<\/p>\n

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His lack of remorse is evident as he recounts<\/strong>\u00a0the killings he committed, sparing no morbid detail. \u201cTo this day I take great pride in the work I did,\u201d Fraysse writes in his book. He doesn\u2019t seem to view some of his actions, including the murder of a witness to one of his crimes, as clear acts of terrorism.<\/p>\n

OAS was founded on 11 February 1961 by a handful of French military generals, captains and colonels. Once ardent admirers of General Charles de Gaulle, they came to consider him a traitor to his country after he renounced the government\u2019s commitment to preventing Algerian independence.<\/p>\n

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READ MORE\u00a0The horrors of the Algerian war for independence haunt recent French films<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Drawing notice for his involvement in attacks and other acts of violence, Fraysse enlisted in the OAS Delta Commando, which he describes as a \u201cparamilitary force specialising in the extrajudicial killing of individuals terrorising Algerian Europeans\u201d. At the time, a fierce underground war was playing out between the pro-independence National Liberation Front (FLN) and supporters of French Algeria, in which targeted killings began taking precedence over other types of attacks.<\/p>\n

Echoing the frequent fear-mongering of France\u2019s most far-right political voices about the country\u2019s Muslim community, throughout his book, the author refers to Islam as an inherently bellicose religion bent on triumphing over the West. Read on for several translated excerpts, which shed light on what led a number of French military leaders to go underground and commit terrorist acts on Algerian soil.<\/p>\n

Underlying motivations<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe slowly came to realise that the French government was unable to nip every terrorist attack in the bud. That was my first light-bulb moment. The obliviousness or powerlessness of our secret services only added to the sense of fear and insecurity that pervaded among Algerian Europeans. This fear provided fertile ground for FLN assassins, who were all too aware of the cumulative, morale-draining effect of their actions on this particular segment of society. (\u2026)<\/p>\n

\u201cDisappointment gradually gave way to indignation and anger.<\/strong>\u00a0Shocked and unsettled by the government\u2019s failure to take the measure of the war and to ensure our safety, a large swath of the public grew more radical. Why didn\u2019t mainland France put all the material and human resources it could into tackling the terrorist threat? (\u2026)<\/p>\n

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