Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s (AQIM) Uqba bin Nafi Battalion has claimed credit for an attack that killed four members of Tunisia’s National Guard. The group remains loyal to AQIM despite some claims that it had defected to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s Islamic State.
Before his own death on Jan. 31, Harith al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, recorded an audio eulogy for the leader of Ansar al Sharia Libya, Mohammed al Zahawi. Nadhari noted that Zahawi had met with Osama bin Laden in the mid-1990s.
Iyad Ag Ghaly, the reclusive leader of the Malian jihadist group Ansar Dine, is purported to be living freely in the Kidal region of Mali. A journalist for the German publication Der Spiegel met with the jihadist leader and his lieutenants.
Various jihadist groups around the world have commented on the terrorist attacks in Paris and have lauded the terrorists as “heroes.”
An IED blast in the northern Malian town of Kidal has left seven Senegalese peacekeepers from the UN mission wounded. The attack follows a string of operations in central Mali by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Despite a French-led counterterrorism operation in Mali and the Sahel, al Qaeda-linked violence continues to be a problem.
The Tunisian Uqba Ibn Nafi Battalion, which is linked to Ansar al Sharia Tunisia and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, released pictures on Twitter showing weapons taken after clashes with the Tunisian military. The group also claimed two recent attacks in the North African country.
In a newly-released video, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb shows French hostage Serge Lazaervic and Dutch captive Sjaak Rijke. The two men claim to be in poor health, appeal to their governments and family for their release, and mention the prisoner exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
The firefights in both Mali and Niger represent a sharp increase in violence since the beginning of this year.
Yesterday’s ambush in Gao is the worst attack on UN forces since they took over security responsibilities in the summer of 2013.
AQAP and AQIM have issued a joint statement encouraging the jihadists in Syria to unite in the face of the American-led opposition. However, the statement should not be read as an indication that they are breaking ranks from al Qaeda. The two groups also offer their condolences for the Ahrar al Sham leaders who were killed earlier this month.
In a statement attributed to AQIM’s propaganda arm, the al Qaeda branch rejects the Islamic State’s caliphate and reaffirms its loyalty to Ayman al Zawahiri. The statement also reveals that AQIM has played a role in the mediation efforts between the Islamic State and its jihadist rivals in Syria.
Hani Sibai, a longtime ally of Ayman al Zawahiri, has called on al Qaeda to issue a statement regarding the Islamic State’s announced caliphate.
In a court filing earlier this week, the US government argued that the only suspect in custody for the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya should remain in pretrial detention. Prosecutors cited his “extensive contacts” with senior members of other jihadist organizations and plans for additional attacks as reasons to keep him behind bars as he awaits trial.
Ahmed Abu Khattalah is the first suspect in the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi to be held by the US. Most of his accomplices remain free.
The UN cites Boko Haram’s relationship with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) as a reason for adding the Nigerian group to the al Qaeda sanctions list. Previous designations and formal announcements by the US also recognized Boko Haram’s ties to AQIM. Documents found in Osama bin Laden’s compound reportedly showed contacts between the group and al Qaeda’s senior leadership.
A video released by the Al Nusrah Front stars Abu Sulayman al Muhajir, a jihadist ideologue who serves as a sharia official in the group. Sulayman discusses al Qaeda’s organizational scheme and hierarchy, as well as the ongoing conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS).
A newly released report by the Senate Intelligence Committee notes that terrorists “affiliated” with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Muhammad Jamal Network, and Ansar al Sharia took part in the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.
The State Department has designated three Ansar al Sharia organizations. Two of them were involved in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya and the third was involved in the Sept. 14, 2012 assault on the US Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia. The State Department says Ansar al Sharia Tunisia is “tied” to al Qaeda’s affiliates, including al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
For the past few days, Ansar al Sharia has been battling Libyan security forces in the city of Benghazi. More than one year after the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the US mission, the al Qaeda-linked Ansar al Sharia remains a potent force.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has joined other jihadist groups in releasing a statement praising Hakeemullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban commander killed earlier this month. Ansar al Sharia Tunisia posted the message on one of its official Facebook pages.
The Tunisian government blamed Ansar al Sharia for a failed suicide bombing and an additional planned suicide attack last week.
A senior al Qaeda operative, Abu Anas al Libi, was captured in Tripoli, Libya. Al Libi has served al Qaeda since the 1990s. According to a report published by the Library of Congress in August 2012, he was the “builder of al Qaeda’s network in Libya.”
In a July report warning of “new and more complex operations in Kenya,” the UN also identified an al Qaeda operative who has been entrusted by Ayman al Zawahiri to train Somalis and other African recruits. The operative, known as “Hassan,” has also reportedly trained Boko Haram fighters.
In recent days, both al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Shabaab have issued statements declaring al Qaeda’s attacks on the US on 9/11 a success. Both groups also praised the 19 hijackers.
The Daily Beast reports that a conference call involving “more than 20 al Qaeda operatives” is what prompted the closing of more than 20 US diplomatic facilities.
Nasir al Wuhayshi, the emir of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been appointed the overall general manager of al Qaeda. Osama bin Laden’s letters contain a description of the general manager’s role.
In a statement released on its Facebook page and Twitter feed, Ansar al Sharia Tunisia denied any involvement in two high-profile assassinations this year. One day earlier, Tunisia’s interior minister accused Ansar al Sharia members and a longtime jihadist of being involved.
Tunisian officials have accused a longtime jihadist, who fought in Iraq, of being involved in two high-profile assassinations. The Tunisian government also alleged that some of the perpetrators “belong to Ansar al Sharia.”
Magharebia reports that a Salafi jihadist leader in Tunisia has “officially announce(d)” his support for al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s call for jihad.