Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM): A Growing Source of Concern for All

By Matthew J. Gordner (1) A steady pattern of kidnappings and attacks on local and foreign targets across a sizeable portion of western North Africa have demonstrated the dangerous presence of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in recent years. However, while AQIM are certainly a growing source of concern – as the failed assassination attempt on Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika that was attributed to the group indicates - one questions the limit of their regional reach. In particular, commentators have been asking whether they are capable of carrying out attacks on foreign soil, while their seemingly limited support from a withering (or likely phantom) (2) al-Qaeda central command raises questions as to whether they intend to hit targets in North Africa as well as those of ‘the West’. This newsletter looks at the shifting nature of AQIM’s operations and discusses the feasibility of the group’s movement and influence from regional to global. A Shift in AQIM’s MO? Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos recently verified an audio tape sent to media group Al Jazeera by AQIM as authentic. On the tape, the North African al-Qaeda takes responsibility for kidnapping three Spanish aid workers in Mauritania on 29 November 2009. Sources report that they were moved to Mali where they are currently being held along with a French hostage, Pierre Camette, whom they kidnapped in Mali on 25 November. AQIM claims that they are treating their prisoners “in accordance with Islamic law,” which has been interpreted as an indication that they are being treated well. READ FULL POST HERE…