Jamestown: Al-Qaeda in Yemen and the "Islamic Maghreb" are revitalizing their special relationship
English - Tuesday 02 May 2023 الساعة 04:37 pm
NewsYemen, special translation:
The American "Jamestown" Foundation for Political and Military Studies has highlighted the special relationship between the "Al Qaeda Organization in the Arabian Peninsula" which is based in Yemen and the "Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb," pointing to a new approach to revitalize it.
The Jamestown Foundation said, in a report - translated by "Newsyemen" - that on April 24, the two groups issued a mutual congratulatory message on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.
It added, "Although they were friendly and blessed messages on the occasion of the (Muslim holiday), they went back to a time when these two groups were at their height and enjoyed a 'special relationship'."
The American think tank suggested that the purpose of the last joint statement on Eid is to try to revitalize the relationship between al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and al-Qaeda in Yemen, which has deteriorated since the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri.
She pointed out that al-Qaeda had been without a leader for nearly a year, and needed activists to strengthen its position among global jihadist groups.
The joint statement also aims to dispel any feelings about the obsolescence or decline of al-Qaeda, and to reaffirm that the organization's elements are still as engaged in the jihadist struggle now as they were when they first joined al-Qaeda 15 years ago.
Historically, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (Al Qaeda in Yemen) are among the most effective affiliates of Al Qaeda in the world.
He stated that "after announcing its formation and affiliation with al-Qaeda in 2007, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb carried out repeated suicide bombings and ambushes against Algerian security forces, while al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula made high-profile attempts to strike the United States, including through a plot." The "botched underwear bombing of a Nigerian on a flight to the United States".
He added, “Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its allies managed to maintain control over parts of Algeria in 2012, until a French-led military intervention drove them back in 2013. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula managed to hold on to territory in Yemen until it was able to UAE-backed southern forces managed to defeat and expel them from Mukalla in 2017.
And the American Jamestown Foundation drew attention to the extent of coordination between extremist groups in the region, and said: “After the Nigerian government launched a campaign against Boko Haram and killed its then-leader Muhammad Yusuf and several hundred of his followers in 2009, both Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Al Qaeda in the semi-autonomous Arabia has similar statements of condolence (visual and readable) and condemnation of the Government of Nigeria.
Later, in 2014, AQIM and AQAP officials issued statements critical of the Islamic State (ISIS) when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the caliphate. But initially they did not call for hostilities against ISIS. But in the end, al Qaeda was forced to confront ISIS when it became dominant in Syria and Iraq.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb also issued a joint statement before that calling on all jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq to remain united and avoid fighting among themselves. This was an indication of how much the groups synced their public narratives.
