Al-Qaeda involvement in Africa
Al-Qaeda involvement in Africa | |||||||
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Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly GSPC) area of operations | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Al-Qaeda |
Al-Qaeda has conducted operations and recruited members in Africa. It has included a number of bombing attacks in North Africa and supporting parties in civil wars in Eritrea and Somalia. From 1991 to 1996, Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders were based in Sudan.
Algeria
An insurgency is being waged by the
The group has declared its intention to attack Algerian,
Eritrea
As soon as the allied Somali and Ethiopian forces drove the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) out of Somalia in January 2007, U.S. accused Eritrea of providing safe haven for some of their leadership.[1] America also condemned Eritrea since it continued to "fund, arm, train and advise the insurgents" attacking the Somalia government.[2][3] According to a regional Somali government, some Eritrean soldiers were also sighted working with Arab and al-Qaeda fighters against the Somali government, and the foreign alliance attacked government positions.[4]
In 2007 there were reports that the Eritrean government is sheltering the leadership of the insurgency in Somalia.
Kenya
In 2002 another successful terrorist attack in
Libya
On 3 November 2007, al-Zawahiri claimed in a 28-minute recording posted on an Islamic website that "... members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group announce that they are joining the al-Qaeda group ..." According to Al Jazeera, Abu al-Laith appeared to be the leader of the new Libyan wing. Fighting Islamic Group first announced its presence in 1995, vowing to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader. In 2001, the group was added to a UN list of individuals and institutions "belonging to, or associated with, al-Qaeda".[10]
On 1 November 2011, less than a month after the death of Muammar Gaddafi, the al-Qaeda flag was seen flying off the roof of a courthouse in Benghazi's city center.[12]
The extent of al-Qaeda's involvement is not yet known. Concerns have been voiced about what role
Somalia
In February 2012, al-Shabaab officially pledged loyalty to Al-Qaeda. In an audio message to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Shabaab leader said: "On behalf of the soldiers and the commanders in al-Shabaab, we pledge allegiance to you. So lead us to the path of jihad and martyrdom that was drawn by our imam, the martyr Osama."[15]
Activities of al-Qaeda in Somalia are alleged to have begun as early as 1992.
Al-Qaeda was also linked to militant
After the dissolution of the ICU, Al-Qaeda reportedly established strong ties with the Al-Shabaab splinter group.[23]
In September 2009, it is thought that the Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan was killed during a military raid in Somalia. He was a top Al-Qaeda suspect and was thought to be responsible for attacks on a hotel in Kenya and on an Israeli airliner in 2002.[24][25]
Sudan
In 1991, Sudan's National Islamic Front, an Islamist group that had recently gained power, invited al-Qaeda to move operations to Sudan.[26] For several years, al-Qaeda operated several businesses (including import/export, farm, and construction firms) in what might be considered a period of financial consolidation. The group built a major 1200-km (845-mi) highway connecting the capital Khartoum with Port Sudan.[27] However, they also ran a number of camps where they trained operatives in the use of firearms and explosives.
In 1996, Osama bin Laden was asked to leave Sudan after the United States put the regime under extreme pressure to expel him, citing possible connections to the 1994 attempted assassination of
Osama bin Laden finally left Sudan in a well-executed operation, arriving at
See also
- Al-Qaeda involvement in the Middle East
- Al-Qaeda involvement in Europe
References
- ^ "U.S. accuses Eritrea on supporting islamists".
- ^ "U.S. condemns Eritrean assistance of islamists". Archived from the original on June 4, 2008.
- ^ "US blames Eritrea over Somalian insurgency". the Guardian. April 9, 2007.
- ^ "allied ICU, Al-Qaeda and Eritrean fighters attack government positions". Archived from the original on June 15, 2007.
- ^ ""The Economist" sites alliance of the islamists and Eritrea". The Economist. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ "Al Shabaab and the insurgency in Somalia". Archived from the original on 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ "the Eritrean government is giving arms to Somalis with Al Qaeda ties". Archived from the original on 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ "Somali on the United Nations list of individuals "belonging to or associated with" al Qaeda". Archived from the original on 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ "Islamic Courts Union leaders wanted by the US over suspected links to al-Qaeda". Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ Zawahri: Libya group joins al-Qaeda Archived 2008-03-08 at the Wayback Machine accessed November 3, 2007
- ^ Swami, Praveen (2011-03-25). "Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2011-11-20. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Al Qaeda flag flown above Benghazi courthouse". Photos taken at: 7.00AM GMT 01 Nov 2011. London. 2011-11-01. Archived from the original on 2011-11-15. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ Birrell, Ian (2011-10-24). "MI6 role in Libyan rebels' rendition 'helped to strengthen al-Qaida". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2013-08-28. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ Gardham, Duncan (2011-09-23). "Urgent efforts underway to recover stolen Libyan weapons from al-Qaeda". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ "Al-Shabaab joining al Qaeda, monitor group says". CNN. 9 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-17.
- ^ "EDITORIAL: Sudan re-run in Somalia". Daily Times. 2006-12-30. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
- ^ "Context of 'October 3–4, 1993'". Cooperative Research History Commons. Archived from the original on 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
- Esquire Magazine. 1999-02-01. Archivedfrom the original on 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
- ^ "The truth about Mogadishu". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2006-10-08. Archived from the original on 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
- ^ Abdi Abdi, "The Talibanisation of Somalia"[permanent dead link], Ethiopian News Agency, 12 July 2006
- ^ "Pentagon captures high level Al-Qaeda member in Somalia". Archived from the original on 2008-04-12. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ "RADIO.COM: Listen to Free Radio | Music, Sports, News, Podcasts". www.radio.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
- ^ "Somali Islamists al-Shabab 'join al-Qaeda fight'". Archived from the original on 2010-02-13. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
- ^ "Al-Qaeda Somalia suspect 'killed'". September 15, 2009 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ JPost – Kenya terrorist killed in Somalia raid[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Testimony of J. T. Caruso, Acting Assistant Director, CounterTerrorism Division, FBI Before the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism, Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate – December 18, 2001 – "Al-Qaeda International"". Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2001-12-18. Archived from the original on 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- ^ "Inside Al-Qaeda". Archived from the original on 9 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-18.