The AQIM leader denied ties between him and the Saharan rebel group Algerian cleric, Abu Abdelilah Ahmed, Head of the Political Commission for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) declared that the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) is an AQIM- splinter. His claim may confirm reports regarding internal disputes over the leadership of the extremist groups activating in north and west Africa.Ahmed revealed that AQIM has been allied with Ansar Dine group — led by the Tuareg leader, Eyad Ag Ghali — which took over north Mali a few months, ago after carrying out a coup against its central government. However, Ghali announced two days ago that his alliance with AQIM has been broken as per a previous agreed deal that will see AQIM fighters leave north Mali and head to Nigeria.
When asked about the nationalities of AQIM fighters, Ahmed said that his group contains fighters belonging to Tunisia, Morocco and Libya in addition to the Algerian recruits. He added that all those fighters recruited in the Qabael region in the Algerian Sahara were under the supervision of AQIM\'s supreme leader, Abdelmalik Drodkal.
The AQIM leader also denied ties between him and the Saharan rebel group, Polisario — comparing Morocco\'s King Mohammed VI’s confirmation of these ties to that of US former President George W. Bush’s ties between Saddam Hussein\'s regime and al-Qaeda in 2003, which were later proven false.
Ahmed ascribed his group’s public deterioration to AQIM\'s lack of literate recruits. He admitted that the recent security blow AQIM has received from the Algerian army has also severely weakened his group. He admitted that AQIM was behind the foiled suicidal attempt of bombing the presidential palace of Algiers in 2008. The Algerian security announced that a 6o year old man was arrested, along with 14 other AQIM recruits, after a special security unit discovered that they were assigned to enter and bomb Algiers\' presidential palace. AQIM leader Ammar Derbal, who was in charge of orchestrating the plot, was also arrested.Abu Abdelilah Ahmed\'s recent comments were seen by the Algerian observers as a proof that the Algerian army\'s raids against AQIM camps in the Qabael region have been fruitful, in addition to the army\'s decision of deploying more than 10,000 soldiers to monitor the border between Algeria and the Azawad region in north Mali.