Al Qaeda's North African wing rejects caliphate declared in Iraq, SyriaJuly 14, 2014 - 21:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Al Qaeda's North African wing has rejected the mediaeval-style caliphate declared by a militant Islamist group in Iraq and Syria, and confirmed its allegiance to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, a statement posted on social media said, according to Reuters. The group calling itself the Islamic State announced last month it was creating a caliphate on lands it has captured in Syria's civil war and during a rapid advance through swathes of Iraq. In a direct challenge to al Qaeda, its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi assumed the title of caliph and issued a message seeking to assert authority over Muslims everywhere and rally them for jihad, or holy war. The Islamic State is an offshoot of al Qaeda, whose global leadership has disowned it. The statement attributed to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) criticized Baghdadi's group for failing to consult with jihadi leaders, according to SITE, an authoritative U.S.-based organization that monitors Islamist militant communiques. "We confirm that we still adhere to our pledge of allegiance to our sheikh and emir, Ayman al-Zawahri," the statement said, referring to the Egyptian who took on al Qaeda's leadership after U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden in 2011. AQIM was originally based in Algeria, but has expanded more widely across the Sahel region of North Africa. Its leader Abdelmalek Droukdel has been loyal to the core al Qaeda leadership alongside other Islamist militant groups in the region. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |