![](https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/17-03-02-Image-of-Iyad-Ghali-at-JNIM-announcement.png)
US designates al Qaeda’s branch in Mali as terror organization
The State Department announced today that it has designated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), al Qaeda’s branch in Mali and West Africa, as a terrorist organization. JNIM and its leader, Iyad Ghali, are openly loyal to al Qaeda and the Taliban’s emir.