The Battle of the Casbah : Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Algeria, 1955-1957

No French army officer had ever spoken out in such detail. Many government officials in 1957, including Francois Mitterand--the future president of France--knew and approved of torture and summary executions in Algeria during Algeria's struggle for independence. The public was never told until now about the actual use and function of torture during the Algerian war by someone directly involved, like General Aussaresses. This book is particularly relevant to the current debate on terrorism. That story constitutes the main part of this book. It details the methods used, including torture and summary executions, and the results obtained by the paratrooper commando units