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In the war in Algeria, the islamic fascists, used tactics identical to those employed now in Iraq to drive civilised forces from North Africa, where millions of french citizens had lived for generations in relative peace and prosperity with an arab/muslim majority.
Decrying the evils of "colonialism" the small band(s) of islamic fascists made quick work of traffic cops, delicetessen counters, and bank offices conducting as much uncontrolled mayhem, murder, and carnage as they could in the name of "islamic independence".
The only groups punished more severely by the terrorists than the french nationals who were seen as part of the colonial system, were arabs/muslims who dared to question the wisdom of trying to move beyond colonialism by means of indiscriminant violence directed at those least associated with maintaining colonial domination. Thus, a small group of fanatics was taken to represent a leadership of the arab/mulim majority because desent was suppressed through ruthless violence.
In the inevitable cycle of escalating action and re-action that followed, horrible attrocities were launched by both sides, until de gaule seeing the matter as not worth the cost of victory abandoned french colonials and algeria to domination by the radicals.
It was never true in Algeria that the fascists had popular support. It was true that as long as the possibility existed that the terrorists might win, no arabs/muslims could dare to speak out against them safely, thus creating the illusion of popular support.
The kind of war necessitated by terrorist tactics is gruesome and not likely to win support from meddling liberals in third countries with nothing at stake.
Those not prepared to pay the price, as the French were not in Algeria, must be prepared to lose.