Thursday, May 08, 2008

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Evolves   [J. Peter Pham]

Today my weekly “Strategic Interests” column for the World Defense Review takes another look at al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a group that, amid the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert and the Sahel, is likely to play an increasingly significant role in the overall struggle against extremism.

I note that “beyond the Maghreb itself, AQIM has considerable reach to émigré communities in Western Europe” and that the group’s alignment with al-Qaeda not only elevates its status, but gives the latter access to its “extensive networks of cells throughout Western Europe, some of which were involved in raising funds for them through the smuggling of drugs and immigrants, while others provided support for recruitment, training, and other logistical activities.” The article goes on to explore the threat presented by AQIM to countries within the region as well as in Western Europe—especially Spain, which has been singled out by the Islamist terrorists for historical and ideological reasons—and the United States, concluding:

The marriage of convenience between Islamist extremists in the Maghreb and the Sahel and the leadership of al-Qaeda does not by itself increase the risk of attack on America and its allies. However, the access that al-Qaeda now gains to North African and European communities and the more universal status which AQIM now acquires does raise the expectations among their constituents that together they will strike more effectively against enemies, both near and far, thus heightening the danger that they will be impelled by internal pressure to mount some sort of an assault. Consequently, the United States needs to continue its modest, but effective, strategic investment in this vast and hitherto largely overlooked geopolitical space.

The full text of my piece, “Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: An Evolving Challenge in the War on Terror,” is available here.

05/08 10:45 AMShare