Origins:
The Al Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb is a network that joins Al Qaeda's main organization with an Algerian group, the Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC, from Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat. The merger was announced in September 2006 by Al Qaeda second-in-command, Ayman Al Zawahiri.
More information on: The Al Qaeda network
Home Base:
Notable Attacks:
- April 11, 2007: Two bombings against government targets killed at least 23 and and wounded 118
Objectives:
While the GSPC's goal is the establishment of an Islamic state in Algeria, the network to which it belongs serves strategic goals of Al Qaeda as well. Analysts believe that Al Qaeda is setting up in North Africa to provide a place for jihadist fighters leaving Iraq to regroup and prepare for combat elsewhere. Alternatively, fighters may train in the Maghreb (North Africa) in preparation for operations in Iraq.
Mobile Training Camps:
According to analyst Andrew Black, the GSPC is also maintaining mobile training camps on behalf of Al Qaeda, as part of its role in the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb network:
As seen with the training camps in Afghanistan in the 1990s, the experiences shared by mujahideen in the camps can have a lasting impact through the establishment of an esprit de corps, which subsequently leads to high levels of trust and a willingness to cooperate. These camps will also be vital in feeding the flow of mujahideen traveling to Iraq to participate in the insurgency there. Although there are training facilities in Iraq for foreign fighters, efforts to prepare fighters prior to their departure for Iraq will alleviate some of the burden placed on the Iraqi jihadi training system.