Maghreb

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Running head AQIM 1 Evolution of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Student name Student ID Institution Date

AQIM 2 The evolution of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) The purpose of this paper is to analyze the threat and evolution of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. This will be done through synthesis of various sources to come up with the best supporting evidence and analysis. The Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has been the most recent iteration of AL Qaeda group dating back from general elections held in Algeria in 1991 where the military nullified a democratic political majority win by the Islamic Salvation Front. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) emerged from decade’s long militant Islamic tradition in Algeria. The general instability in the region might make the group evolve even more hence making it difficult get rid of the group. The threat of Al-Qaeda has evolved and continued to be a threat to people’s security due to their alignment to the interests of Al-Qaeda group, continued funding, and inadequate governance from the regions of North Africa and West Africa. The alignment to the interests of Al-Qaeda core is the greatest factor that shaped the evolution of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb. The partnership has always provided both ideological and tactical support for the group which has provided the support even to attack western targets outside Algeria while at the same time remaining committed to overthrowing the Algerian government ( Hoffman, 2004) . Traditionally, the Al- Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb used guerilla tactics but after merging with the Al-Qaeda group, they started shift from these tactics and started using the tactics used by Al-Qaeda and its affiliated movements around the world ( Hoffman, 2004) . Over the last years, Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb has started to focus on softer targets which can result in greater casualties from just fewer attacks.. After the alliance with Al-Qaeda, they started to use the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), synchronized attacks and suicide bombers. In the year 2007, the attacks that were recorded and associated to this group were 33

AQIM 3 and most of them were in Algeria. Most of these attacks used IED’s ( Hoffman, 2004) . There was rise in the use of explosive devices in 2007 which meant that the use of firearms reduced. This meant that they were able to destroy more and to kill a high number of people in a broader scale. According to them, this was an achievement since they were able to achieve their objective will less effort and less resources ( Laub & Masters, 2014) . It is factual that the use of IED can be easy for the group and difficult for the security personnel to detect as compared to the use of firearms. AL-Qaeda group played a significant role in helping the Al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb in these tactics. As we know, Al Qaeda is a strong militia group and has been doing these terror activities for a long time and therefore they are experienced and they can offer the best assistance in such acts. I believe this evolution can only be reduced with the government investing more in a technology that can detect these IED ( Hoffman, 2004) .. The international community should also come and assist because terrorism is a global challenge that requires global collaboration. I believe there should be more focus on fighting the Al-Qaeda group since this is an experienced group and will continue to be a threat in the international security and also the evolution of Al- Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. .The alignment to the interests of Al Qaeda has made the Al- Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to evolve and stronger which is a threat and stability of the government. Inadequate and poor governance has made the AQIM to evolve and carry their terror activities with ease. The counterterrorism authorities in Algeria got to a point where they just adapted to the new tactics being used by the AQIM. The security forces continued to combat AQIM using military forces and amnesty just to reduce the number fighters and also protecting various government institutions. Since the emergence of the group, the Algerian counterterrorism has continued to pressure the group to areas with less government operations. By 2007, the

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AQIM 4 government of Algeria had begun to launch large scale operations against the group and killing approximately 1100 militants ( Laub & Masters, 2014) . In 2008, the there was also a launch of massive military operations where 15000 troops were deployed in the northeastern regions of Banta, Skida and Jijel. Most of the attacks that were carried out in Algeria were near the strongholds of the group such as Kabylia Despite some successful operations by the Algerian government, some of the loosely patrolled areas such as the Sahara-Sahel have provided this militia group with some freedom to do whatever they want and grow without any disruption ( Laub & Masters, 2014) . On the same note, countries like Niger and Mali face difficulties due to the pervasive corruption and poorly undermanned and underfunded military personnel. There has been allegation from some western officials that there exist a nonaggression pact between AQIM and Mali. The president of Mali has also stated that some local officials are well connected with various outlaws among them terrorists. The rampant corruption in Mali has also led to general underdevelopment. According to an audit which was conducted in 2009, about $220 million was mismanaged and it was intended for rural development, security, and water ( Laub & Masters, 2014) . This makes it possible for AQIM to win over the dissatisfied local populations since they can provide some of these benefits that the government is not able to provide. This means that these populations can be controlled and even recruited to join the militia group hence making it difficult for the government to win the fight. Also having collaborated with Salafist group for Preaching and Combat, it allowed AQIM to easily collaborate with Tuareg tribes in Mali and Niger. These tribes are able to abduct foreigners and sell them to AQIM. These kidnapping activities have been very lucrative for AQIM and it has assisted them to gain more control and to evolve in their tactics. I believe that one notable thing is that if we had more countries like Algeria in the region, the fight against this militia group can be successful but when countries

AQIM 5 like Mali involve themselves with corruption, it makes it easy for the group to evolve and expand ( Laub & Masters, 2014) . When the groups comes across a society that is divided and the government has failed in providing the basic resources, I believe this can be a very easy target for such a group to grow in such a society and also recruit more people to join them. They can also thrive in a country where there is no peace ( Laub & Masters, 2014) . Having an effective government like Algeria, it can be difficult for the group to evolve. Even if there is help from outside but the government is corrupt, most of the times success cannot be realized and it can even reach a point that the militia group can overthrow the government. I therefore believe that proper leadership can play a critical role in fighting the group. I believe effective leadership means being able to fight corruption, reducing poverty and uniting people so that AQIM will not be able to recruit people to join them. Even with less resources, good leadership can help fight the group and stabilize the region which in turn helps stabilize the economic status of the region. AQIM is a well-funded and self-sustaining militia group and this keeps them moving and conduct all their activities without financial problems. Rather than kidnapping, the group has also started smuggling operations around the Sahara and Sahel. Traditionally, the group was mostly involved in trafficking humans, cigarettes and weapons as well. It is now believe that AQIM has started to partner with Latin American cartels and to trade cocaine in an effort to fund their activities ( Larémont, 2011) . This has become troubling because smuggling narcotics has a higher earning potential compared to other activities that they carry out. However, even with the increasing accusations that the AQIM is being involved in cocaine smuggling, there is still no enough evidence of the extent at which they involve themselves with cocaine smuggling. The combined criminal activities that AQIM carry out have brought to them a great deal of revenue. Due to this continued funding ( Larémont, 2011) , AQIM has now evolved and they have

AQIM 6 sophisticated equipment, vehicles and night vision and goggles. Although the criminal activities have brought a high amount of funding for the group, there is also a possibility that some people might be drawn away from the religious underpinning. This means that they also need to reconcile the religious aspect of the group and the political aspect. Although the governments have tried to fight the donors of terrorist, it has not affected to a great extent the sources of revenue for the group ( Larémont, 2011) . The AL Qaeda group based in Iraq is also said to play a critical role in financing criminal activities and terrorism not only for AQIM but also other terror groups. Moreover, financing of criminal activities remains controversial and some leaders of these terrorist groups such as Osama bin Laden was rejecting any criminal activities and discouraged the followers from taking part in drug dealings. Looking at how AQIM operates and their belief, I just think that they are not hones. They claim to be following Quran and do according to the will of Allah but what they do is totally opposite of that and that’s why they should be classified as a criminal group. I believe that if the governments can fight the financing sources, it can still be difficult to fight them since they can still kidnap people and ask for money. I believe if things stay the way they are, the group will continue to evolve and they will even come up with other forms of funding. The emergence of Algerian militancy also made the AQIM to look for external help and this led to the alliance with Al Qaeda. The Algeria counterterrorism pressure was a major driving factor to the alliance with Al-Qaeda core. The simultaneous military and amnesty campaigns left the group scrambling to remain relevant and undermanned. Algeria had really struggled to end the activities of AQIM to an extent of even passing a referendum which was known as Charter for peace and National Reconciliation in 2005 ( Goerzig, 2019) . This was an amnesty intervention that allowed the fighters to rejoin the society if they laid down their weapons and renounced

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AQIM 7 offensive jihad. The amnesty plan also built public support for subsequent military campaigns that targeted the leaders of AQIM ( Goerzig, 2019) . This is an indication of how Algeria has always been committed to bring stability to the region and protect its people. They even tried to use nonmilitary way just to bring peace and stability to the region. I believe the efforts in Algeria must be coming from a very effective and committed leadership. The only thing I can recommend is for the Algerian government to collaborate with other governments in the region in an effort to fight AQIM. Collaboration can also help to call other people from outside the region to assist fight the militia group. In conclusion, the above information and analysis is a clear indication that Al-Qaeda has evolved and continued to be a threat to people’s security due to their alignment to the interests of Al-Qaeda group, continued funding, and inadequate governance from the regions of North Africa and West Africa. It is my opinion that the expansion and evolution of AQIM has mainly grown due to the alignment to the interests of Al-Qaeda which has brought in a lot of support tactically and financially. The governments of the region need to come together and support each other fight the militia group. Also countries of Mali and Niger need to fight corruption and identify their weaknesses in fighting the group. I believe that when they recognize where they are going wrong, it can be strategize and be in a position to reduce or end the activities of the group. Also I believe that proper leadership in the region is very important in fighting AQIM. Good leaders can strategize and plan ahead before things become worse. This is specifically important to countries such as Mali and Niger since a country like Algeria has demonstrated good leadership so far.

AQIM 8 References Goerzig, C. (2019). Terrorist learning in context–the case of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Critical Studies on Terrorism , 12 (4), 629-648. Hoffman, B. (2004). The changing face of Al Qaeda and the global war on terrorism. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism , 27 (6), 549-560. Larémont, R. R. (2011). Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: Terrorism and counterterrorism in the Sahel. African Security , 4 (4), 242-268. Laub, Z., & Masters, J. (2014). Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Council of Foreign Relations , 27 .

Maghreb

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