But very little surfaces about a festering insurgency that has been on the go for six years in west africa under the acronym of aqim, or al qaeda in the islamic maghreb. Its over 1,000 days now since an australian doctor, ken elliott, was kidnapped in djibo, burkina faso, on 15 january, 2016. The recent merger of several malibased al qaeda groups is bad news for the already unstable sahel region. The al qaida in the islamic maghreb aqim is a terrorist organization and part of al qaeda. How alqaeda survived drones, uprisings,and the islamic state.
The ongoing evolution of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb by j. Text andor other creative content from this version of edwin dyer was copied or moved into alqaeda organization in the islamic maghreb with this edit on 20120103. Undergoverned spaces in west africa and the maghreb created an environment in which aqim established safe havens. As for the decision to merge the three jihadi regions. The group, which has its origins in the islamic armed group during algerias. Using crime to advance salafist goals, secure safe havens, and acquire international reach leaders. Mar 18, 2017 the leaders of four al qaeda groups have united under a common banner.
The group declared its intention to attack european, spanish, french, and american targets but has been more successful in striking north african targets. Jan 17, 20 al qaeda in the land of the islamic maghreb aqim, to give its full name in english, has its roots in the bitter algerian civil war of the early 1990s, but has since evolved to take on a more. The islamic state militant group isis faces total defeat in the middle east, but al qaeda may once again rise from its ashes. Objectivesalqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is an fundamentalist islamic militant organization which aims to overthrow the algerian government and institute an islamic state. The formation of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb was officially announced on sept. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb has had international ambitions since the central leadership of al qaeda bestowed member status on it in 2006. To drive the nail home, droukdel derides belmokhtars wish to communicate directly with. In march 2017, aqims sahara branch merged with al mourabitoun, ansar. Sep 01, 2011 al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim emerged from a decadeslong militant islamist tradition in algeria.
The core groups other main branch, alqaeda in the islamic maghreb. Feb 14, 20 droukdel, the emir of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb, perhaps surprisingly argues that his fighters moved too fast and too brutally in applying the islamic law known as shariah to northern mali. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim, launched in january 2007, is the most recently established franchise of osama bin laden s jihadi network, and it is also the only one to have so far escaped the decline and crisis of the other branches of alqaeda in the arab world. Al qaeda terrorism in the islamic maghreb and the sahel. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb mapping militant organizations. Al qaeda claims responsibility for attack on burkina faso hotel. The group traces its provenance to algerias civil war in the 1990s and has in the past decade become an alqaeda affiliate with regional ambitions. Today these groups are waging jihad, killing thousands in their drives to establish islamic rule under shariah law this development didnt just happen.
The evolving threat of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb by. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb archives world watch monitor. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is a salafijihadist militant group and u. But very little surfaces about a festering insurgency that has been on the go for six years in west africa under the acronym of. Since 2007, the group has professed its loyalty to osama bin laden and al qaedas senior leadership and claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks in. Hostage held by al qaeda in mali for 5 years is freed according to a retired european intelligence official, a payment of 3. As a formal alqaeda affiliate, the group is dedicated to dismantling regional governments and implementing sharia islamic law in areas where it operates, primarily in algeria, mali, mauritania, libya, tunisia, and niger. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb is one of the regions wealthiest, bestarmed militant groups due to the payment of ransom demands by humanitarian organizations and western governments. Based in the sahara and sahel, alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim seeks to rid north africa of western influence. Al qaedas branch in africa makes a lethal comeback the new. The narrative landscape of alqaeda in the islamic maghreb valentina bartolucci steven r. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is an amor phous, resilient, and. Alqaeda in the islamic maghrib militant group britannica.
In his second book, organizational behavior profile. The new al qaeda entity will fuel an emboldened insurgency in mali and allow for. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb center for strategic and. Over the past decade, alqaedas strategy across multiple regions has involved attempts to integrate into local communities and curry favor with regional populations, with the aim of enabling the groups affiliates to become accepted as. The new al qaeda entity will fuel an emboldened insurgency in mali and allow for greater coordination throughout th. In early 2017, aqims sahelbased emirate and al murabitoun announced a merger with ansar al dine and another malianled islamist.
Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb terror trends bulletin. Objectivesal qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is an fundamentalist islamic militant organization which aims to overthrow the algerian government and institute an islamic state. The united states faces an important strategic question in northwest africa. Mar, 2016 based in the sahara and sahel, alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim seeks to rid north africa of western influence. Ansari africa center of the atlantic council, washington, d. The unification between the al murabitoun organization and. Alqaeda in the land of the islamic maghreb aqim salafist. Jihadist news al qaeda al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim thursday, 02 march 2017 aqap and aqim eulogize the blind sheikh, call fighters to avenge his death in american prison. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim, also sometimes referred to as al qaeda in the lands of the islamic maghreb aqlim, is an algerianbased salafijihadist organization that became affiliated with osama bin ladens al qaeda aq in 2006. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb cisac, stanford university. Aqim then carried out several large attacks against algerian state. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim claimed responsibility for the attack, site intelligence group reported. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim and related groups.
By 2012 al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim had become the primary source of income for the al qaeda network tobacco many groups engage in legitimate business activities to raise and distribute money navias, 2002. In 2014, the group reiterated its allegiance to zawahiri, now al qaeda s leader, in the. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is a jihadist terrorist group based in north africa. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb and boko haram are both renewing. Implications for algerias regional and international relations by dario cristiani and riccardo fabiani. Al qaedas affiliate there, al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim, is developing capabilities that threaten american interests in west africa in a way that does not raise red flags in washington.
The former pages history now serves to provide attribution for that content in the latter page. Us africa command previously said that 11 aqim terrorists were killed and three vehicles destroyed in the precision airstrike near al uwaynat. Johan gustafsson, a swede kidnapped at gunpoint in timbuktu, mali, by al qaeda in the islamic maghreb in 2011 and recently. Jihadist news alqaeda alqaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim thursday, 02 march 2017 aqap and aqim eulogize the blind sheikh, call fighters to avenge his death in american prison. Droukdel, the emir of alqaeda in the islamic maghreb, perhaps surprisingly argues that his fighters moved too fast and too brutally in applying the islamic law known as shariah to northern mali.
Pdf terrorist learning in context the case of al qaeda in. The islamic state militant group isis faces total defeat in the middle east, but alqaeda may once again rise from its ashes. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb council on foreign relations. The group, formed in 1998 as the salafist group for preaching and combat gspc, rejected the more violent and exclusivist tendencies of the armed islamic group gia and particularly sought to focus instead on attacks against military and government. The leaders of four al qaeda groups have united under a common banner. Its operations seem to be part of localized fighting, and its attacks remain below the threshold for a us or western response. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim, launched in january 2007, is the most recently established franchise of osama bin ladens jihadi network, and it is also the only one to have so far escaped the decline and crisis of the other. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim aqim began as an outgrowth of the algerian civil war. His abduction was claimed by the emirate of the sahara, a branch of alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim. Analysts say the merger, and the new moniker underscoring the islamic maghreb, symbolized the groups efforts to move beyond the algerian conflict.
It was also published in a special edition of the georgetown security. The narrative landscape of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb valentina bartolucci steven r. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim counter extremism. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is a salafijihadist militant group and u. Insurgencies in iraq, afghanistan, syria, yemen and elsewhere the majority linked to al qaeda are in the news on an almost daily basis. It is reported that 90 per cent of aqim resources come from ransoms paid in return for the release of hostages. Alqaeda in the land of the islamic maghreb aqim, to give its full name in english, has its roots in the bitter algerian civil war of the early 1990s, but has since evolved to take on a more. Aqim also failed in its attempt to transform itself into a north africa wide organization. In 2006 droukdel announced that the gspc had merged with al qaeda, and in 2007 the organization changed its name to al qaeda in the islamic maghrib aqim. The merger could also bolster aqims longterm presence in mali by widening its recruitment capability.
The narrative landscape of alqaeda in the islamic maghreb. It originally formed from the algerian salafist group for preaching and combat. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is the main terrorist organization in both. Mar 16, 2016 al qaeda in the islamic maghreb has had international ambitions since the central leadership of al qaeda bestowed member status on it in 2006. Previously, aqim was known as the salafist group for preaching and combat gspc. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim poses the greatest immediate threat of transnational terrorism in northwest africa and is escalating its attacks against regional and western interests. Mar 28, 2017 the merger could also bolster aqims longterm presence in mali by widening its recruitment capability. They are armed, and were called salafist group for preaching and combat french. Alqaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is a salafijihadist militant. The obama administration referred to aqim as a formal al qaeda affiliate. Alqaeda in the land of the islamic maghreb aqim after the gspc officially merged with alqaida aq in september 2006 the organization became known as alqaida in the islamic maghreb aqim. Jan 24, 20 analysts say the merger, and the new moniker underscoring the islamic maghreb, symbolized the groups efforts to move beyond the algerian conflict and focus on jihadist aspirations in the. May 30, 2018 insurgencies in iraq, afghanistan, syria, yemen and elsewhere the majority linked to al qaeda are in the news on an almost daily basis. Relationship with al qaeda andor the islamic state organization aqims union with al qaeda was announced by al qaeda s thendeputy leader ayman al zawahiri in 2006.
On september 11, 2001, the groups al shabaab, boko haram, al qaeda in the islamic maghreb, ansar al shariah and the islamic state were not just unheard ofthey didnt even exist. Alqaeda organization in the islamic maghreb simple english. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim emerged from a decadeslong militant islamist tradition in algeria. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is a jihadist terrorist group based in north africa. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb fdds long war journal. As a formal al qaeda affiliate, the group is dedicated to dismantling regional governments and implementing sharia islamic law in areas where it operates, primarily in algeria, mali, mauritania, libya, tunisia, and niger. Text andor other creative content from this version of edwin dyer was copied or moved into al qaeda organization in the islamic maghreb with this edit on 20120103. Aug 10, 2010 the formation of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb was officially announced on sept.
The alqaida in the islamic maghreb aqim is a terrorist organization and part of alqaeda. As the group sought recognition from al qaeda s leaders, it became more active outside algeria, channeling fighters to the iraq war and launching an attack on a military post in mauritania. Jul 14, 2011 al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim poses the greatest immediate threat of transnational terrorism in northwest africa and is escalating its attacks against regional and western interests. The group traces its provenance to algerias civil war in the 1990s, and has in the past decade become an alqaeda affiliate with regional ambitions. The alqaeda organization in the islamic maghreb is an islamic organisation which has its roots in algeria. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is al qaedas premier affiliate in northern and western africa.
Qaeda in the islamic maghreb organization was done with the intention of preserving a strong, united stance in the face of the occupying crusador enemy, and warned that a war between brothers among jihad fighters would lead to their destruction, and would do service to the crusader enemy. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb and boko haram are both renewing. Gspcalqaeda in islamic maghreb, lexpedition du martyr soheib, 26 jumada al akhira 1428, 11 july 2007. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim is an algerian salafijihadist militant organization operating in the african sahel region. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim, sometimes referred to as al qaeda in the lands of the islamc maghreb aqlim, is an algerian salafijihadist organization that joined al qaeda aq in 2006. The account was part of a drive set in motion in october 2009, when aqim created the al andalus. In spain, italy, or france, but also in belgium and in germany in 2005 and 2006, and so on. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim and related groups overview aqim, a u. The alqaeda affiliates merger in mali fair observer. The libyan islamic fighting group merged directly into alqaeda central. Propaganda actions of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb 81 downloaded by. Al qaeda in the islamic maghreb the new york times. This report represents a first step in that effort by surfacing and articulating six critical aq master narratives and detailing how those master narratives are used by two case study aq affiliates.
Terrorist learning in context the case of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb, critical studies on terrorism, doi. It has 300400 members and is one of the best organized terrorist groups in the world. This blessed union, as zawahiri put it, vowed to be a bone in the throat of the american and french crusaders and. The account was part of a drive set in motion in october 2009, when aqim created the alandalus. Former hostage held by al qaeda describes 6year ordeal in the sahara.
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