By Denis Korkodinov
Al-Naba news agency, set up under the auspices of the Islamic State, reported that armed groups from al-Qaeda have carried out a series of attacks on ISIS positions located in southwestern central Sahara.
The two terrorist organizations, ISIS and al-Qaida, actively share spheres of influence in West Africa. Since mid-April 2020, after a series of defeats in Syria and Iraq, Islamic State militants have significantly increased their presence on the African continent. The most serious clashes with government forces occurred in Mali, Niger and “crossroads” between Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon. Terrorist attacks in Kenya and Mozambique have become more frequent.
At the same time, ISIS ‘actions have been focused not only on leaders of African states, but also on competing terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda has the main role. Supporters of Ayman al-Zawahiri were rather jealous of the fact that ISIS quickly conquered territories that fell into the sphere of al-Qaeda’s interests. As a result, a conflict has arisen between terrorist organizations which has led to a series of armed clashes. This gave ISIS militants reason to believe that a second front had been opened against them by al-Qaeda.
It is worth noting that the Zapando-African section of al-Qaeda (the “Movement for the Support of Islam and Muslims”) is widely represented in Mali and in several neighboring states. They managed to significantly strengthen their positions, thanks to the active support of local tribes, including the Salafis, with which terrorist attacks against government forces were organized in northern Mali. It was this circumstance that allowed ISIS militants to doubt the loyalty of the local population, which was massively destroyed for denying the ideology of the Islamic State and its successes in attempts to form a caliphate in West Africa.
In the meantime, al-Qaeda has been able to obtain support from the Malian government and to commit itself to controlling the Algerian-Moorish border. While, the ISIS strategy rejects any alliance with the national government, considering it a sworn enemy of a terrorist organization. This circumstance served as a basis for accusing Al Qaeda of treason, which, according to militants of the Islamic State, can only be compensated for by murders.
Among other things, another criticism is raised by the fact that the international coalition led by France, as a rule, does not seem to pay much attention to the fight against al-Qaeda. Based on this, ISIS militants believe that there are some agreements on mutual security between the coalition command and the direction of the West African section of the Ayman al-Zawahiri group.
Numerous sources believe that ISIS allegations targeting Al Qaeda could lead to the assassination of the former leaders of Ansar Eddin, an Islamic militant group, established in December 2011, associated with Al Qaeda, Iyad al-Ghali and Ammad al-Kuff, who currently lead the group in West Africa.
(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights)