MUST READ: AL-QUEDA IN THE ISLAMIC MAGHREB'S BURGEONING MEDIA APPARATUS

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's Burgeoning Media Apparatus
By Andrew Black

On May 9, al-Jazeera television broadcast clips from the latest video to emerge from the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The video, which details the preparation and execution of the April 11 attacks in Algiers, highlights yet again the developmental trajectory of the North African group's media campaign which began in earnest with the ascent of Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud to the leadership of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC). Far from being an afterthought or merely a side effect of the GSPC's merger with al-Qaeda, the evolution and steady enhancement of a media enterprise is indicative of the group's increasing alignment with al-Qaeda's strategic doctrine and redoubled efforts in establishing a sustained public presence. This will likely pay dividends in several strategically important arenas, none of which is more critical to the group's success than recruitment.

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Pertinent Links:

1) Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's Burgeoning Media Apparatus