1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated March 27, 2018Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Related GroupsAQIM, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), was formed when the Algerian-led Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat formally joined with Al Qaeda and renamed itself in 20
2、06-2007. AQIMs leader reportedly remains in Algeria, but the groups center of gravity has moved southward into West Africas impoverished Sahel region, and east toward Libya. AQIM has long pursued criminal activities such as kidnapping for ransom and smuggling. In recent years, it also has claimed a
3、siege at a gas plant in Algeria (2013) and mass shootings at hotels, restaurants, and resorts in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Cte dIvoire (2015-2017). In March 2018, a Mali-based, AQIM-aligned coalition claimed a relatively sophisticated attack in Burkina Fasos capital that targeted the military headquar
4、ters and the French Embassy. AQIM and its local allies exploited the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Libya in 2011 and the subsequent civil war in Mali to expand their safe-havens and areas of influence. The collapse of the Qadhafi regime in Libya provided a new source of arms and recruits. In Mali
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