Islamist militant organization in Northwest Africa and the Sahel
Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (Arabic : تنظيم القاعدة في بلاد المغرب الإسلامي , romanized : Tanẓīm al-Qā'idah fī Bilād al-Maghrib al-Islāmī ), or AQIM ,[ 14] is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda ) that aims to overthrow the Algerian government and institute an Islamic state .[ 15] To that end, it is currently engaged in an insurgency campaign in the Maghreb and Sahel regions .
The group originated as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). It has since declared its intention to attack European (including Spanish and French) and American targets. The group has been designated a terrorist organization by the United Nations , Australia , Canada ,[ 16] Malaysia ,[ 17] Russia , the United Arab Emirates , the United Kingdom [ 18] and the United States .
Membership is mostly drawn from the Algerian and local Saharan communities (such as the Tuaregs and Berabiche tribal clans of Mali ),[ 19] as well as Moroccans from city suburbs of the North African country.[ 20] [ 21] [ 22] [ 23] The group has also been suspected of having links with the Horn of Africa -based militant group Al-Shabaab .[ 24] AQIM has focused on kidnapping for ransom as a means of raising funds and is estimated to have raised more than $50 million in the last decade.[ 25]
On 2 March 2017, the Sahara branch of AQIM merged with Macina Liberation Front , Ansar Dine , and Al-Mourabitoun , into Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin .[ 26]
^ a b "3 Mali Islamic extremist groups merge, pledge to al-Qaeda" . Fox News . 2 March 2017. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017 .
^ "Tunisian al Qaeda wing claims IED ambush" . Long War Journal . 14 December 2017. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017 .
^ "North Africa's Menace" (PDF) . RAND Corporation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015 .
^ "Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb" (PDF) . Centre for Strategic and International Studies. September 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015 .
^ a b "Al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)" . National Counter-terrorist Center. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015 .
^ a b "Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)" . Council on Foreign Relations. 27 March 2015. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015 .
^ "Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb" . Stanford University. 13 January 2013. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015 .
^ Masood Marath, Munir (2022). Fallacy of Militant Ideology: Competing Ideologies and Conflict Among Militants, the Muslim World and the West . New York, NY 10158, USA: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-367-75959-9 . Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023 . {{cite book }}
: CS1 maint: location (link )
^ "Profile: Al-Qaeda in North Africa" . BBC News . 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015 .
^ "Al-Qaeda's Resurrection" . Council on Foreign Relations . Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018 .
^ Lauren Ploch Blanchard. "Nigeria's Boko Haram: Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF) . Federation of American Scientists. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015 .
^ "Bay'ah to Baghdadi: Foreign Support for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the Islamic State (Part 2)" . 27 September 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014 .
^ "Israel link cited in deadly al-Qaeda attack on UN in Mali" . The Sydney Morning Herald . 21 January 2019. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019 .
^ Watson, Bob. "Algeria blasts fuel violence fears Archived 7 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine ", BBC News , 11 April 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2007.Jean-Pierre Filiu , "Local and global jihad: Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghrib", The Middle East Journal, Vol.b63, Spring 2009.
^ "Algeria" . CIA. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2013 .
^ "Currently listed entities" . Public Safety Canada . Government of Canada. 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021 .
^ Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Act 613) Archived 1 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine
^ Terrorism Act 2000 (11, Schedule 2). 2000. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2017 . "Archived copy" . Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2017 .{{cite web }}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link ) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link )
^ [1] [permanent dead link ]
^ Dario Cristiani; Riccardo Fabiani (April 2011). "Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM): Implications for Algeria's Regional and International Relations" (PDF) . IAI Working Papers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013 .
^ Morocco dismantles AQIM cell Archived 16 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Magharebia , 26 December 2012
^ Morocco dismantles terror recruitment cell Archived 31 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine Magharebia , 27 November 2012
^ Morocco nabs members of AQIM cell Archived 23 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine Upi.com, 5 January 2011
^ "African Terrorist Groups Starting to Cooperate, U.S. Says" . Bloomberg Businessweek . 25 June 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014.
^ Corera, Gordon (14 January 2013). "Islamists pose threat to French interests in Africa" . BBC. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013 .
^ "Al-Qaeda now has a united front in Africa's troubled Sahel region" . Newsweek . 3 March 2017. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017 .