Unified Unit of Jihad was an Algerian terrorist group responsible for several attacks on foreigners living in Algeria in the early 1990s.  Although the organization had a much smaller presence than similar outfits such as Armed Islamic Group (GIA), Unified Unit of Jihad was at the forefront of a major terrorist campaign in which dozens of foreigners were killed.  <P><br /><br />In 1991, Algeria's ruling party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), acceded to popular demand and allowed democratic elections.  After a first round of voting, an Islamist party, Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), appeared headed for a landslide victory.  Fearing an imminent loss of power, the FLN backed by the Algerian army cancelled the elections.  In response, supporters of the FIS, including many radical Islamists agitating for a state governed by Islamic law, formed armed insurgent groups to fight against the ruling party.  The situation soon escalated into a decade-long civil war punctuated by massacres, terrorism, and tens of thousands of casualties. <P><br /><br />Although little is known about the Unified Unit of Jihad, the group's membership almost certainly came from FIS supporters in the wake of the 1991 elections.  The group first emerged in September 1993, after claiming responsibility for the murder of two French workers living in Algeria.  The infamous GIA claimed the attack as well.  A month later, members of the Unified Unit of Jihad shot and killed two Russian flight trainers.  These two attacks were part of a much larger campaign aimed at foreigners living in Algeria.  Led by GIA, the strategy behind this campaign was to dissuade foreign governments from supporting the Algerian regime.  Over the course of two years, nearly 100 foreigners were killed at the hands of the Islamist rebels.  Unified Unit of Jihad is only known to have been responsible for two specific attacks, but it is likely the group was responsible for additional lower-profile violence.  <P><br /><br />Unified Unit of Jihad never publicly elucidated an ideology, but it is clear the group fought to overthrow the FLN and likely hoped to set up a radical Islamist government in its place.  Although the group took part in a campaign led by GIA, and even claimed responsibility for the same attack, the two organizations are thought to be separate entities.  GIA was one of the most radical of the many Islamist terrorist operations in Algeria, and eventually fell out of favor with mainstream supporters of the FIS, even those that also engaged in terrorism.<br />