Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group
Encyclopedia
The Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group or Moroccan Islamic Fighting Group is a Sunni Islamist terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda
. It is sometimes referred to as GICM after its French name Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain. GICM is one of several North African terrorist franchises spawned in Afghanistan
during the tenure of the Taliban; compare Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
. Along with other al-Qaeda affiliates, GICM has been banned worldwide by the UN 1267 Committee
since shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks
. It is therefore banned also by various individual countries including the United States.
GICM claims to intend to install a fundamentalist Islamist regime in Morocco
, but has members around Western Europe and French Canada as well. The GICM has been associated with major militant attacks. In May 2003, an attack in Casablanca
killed 45 people, including the 12 suicide bombers. In 2004, an attack on the public transportation system in Madrid
killed 191 and wounded more than 1900. Salafia Jihadia
, an offshoot of the GICM, is blamed for both. It was named by Spanish interior minister Angel Acebes
as the "priority" for investigations into the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks, although he insisted that the possible involvement of other militant organisations had not been ruled out.
On October 10, 2005, Britain's Home Office banned GICM and 14 other groups from operating in the United Kingdom. Under Britain's Terrorism Act 2000
, membership of such a group can carry a 10-year prison sentence.
The fourteen banned militant groups were:
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. It is sometimes referred to as GICM after its French name Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain. GICM is one of several North African terrorist franchises spawned in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
during the tenure of the Taliban; compare Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
Libyan Islamic Movement formerly known as The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group also known as Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya is a group active in Libya which played a key role in deposing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, allying itself with the National Transitional Council.However...
. Along with other al-Qaeda affiliates, GICM has been banned worldwide by the UN 1267 Committee
United Nations Security Council Committee 1267
The 1267 Committee , was established on 15 October 1999, pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1267 concerning Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda and/or the Taliban and associated individuals and entities. The 1267 Committee is one of three Security Council committees dealing with counter-terrorism...
since shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. It is therefore banned also by various individual countries including the United States.
GICM claims to intend to install a fundamentalist Islamist regime in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, but has members around Western Europe and French Canada as well. The GICM has been associated with major militant attacks. In May 2003, an attack in Casablanca
2003 Casablanca bombings
The 2003 Casablanca bombings were a series of suicide bombings on May 16, 2003, in Casablanca, Morocco. The attacks were the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country's history. 45 people were killed as a result of these attacks...
killed 45 people, including the 12 suicide bombers. In 2004, an attack on the public transportation system in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
killed 191 and wounded more than 1900. Salafia Jihadia
Salafia Jihadia
Salafia Jihadia is an Islamic terrorist organization affiliated with Al Qaeda that is active in North Africa and Spain.Eleven suspected members of the organization were arrested in Ceuta in December 2006. Judge Baltasar Garzón, a high court judge in Spain, released four of the suspects, but had the...
, an offshoot of the GICM, is blamed for both. It was named by Spanish interior minister Angel Acebes
Ángel Acebes
Ángel Acebes Paniagua is a Spanish politician.Married, Acebes holds a degree in law from the University of Salamanca, although he has been a member of parliament for the rightwing People's Party since 1996 representing Avila.Acebes played a key role in securing the support of minority parties and...
as the "priority" for investigations into the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks, although he insisted that the possible involvement of other militant organisations had not been ruled out.
On October 10, 2005, Britain's Home Office banned GICM and 14 other groups from operating in the United Kingdom. Under Britain's Terrorism Act 2000
Terrorism Act 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 is the first of a number of general Terrorism Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It superseded and repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland Act 1996...
, membership of such a group can carry a 10-year prison sentence.
The fourteen banned militant groups were:
- Libyan Islamic Fighting GroupLibyan Islamic Fighting GroupLibyan Islamic Movement formerly known as The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group also known as Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya is a group active in Libya which played a key role in deposing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, allying itself with the National Transitional Council.However...
- Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain
- Ansar al-IslamAnsar al-IslamAnsar al-Islam is a Sunni Islamist group of Iraqis, promoting a radical interpretation of Islam, close to the official Saudi ideology of Wahhabism with strict application of Sharia. The group was formed in the northern provinces of Iraq near the Iranian border, and previously had established...
- Al Ittihad Al IslamiaAl-Itihaad al-IslamiyaAl-Itihaad al-Islamiya or AIAI is a defunct Islamist militant group in Somalia that was added to the U.S. list of terrorist organizations on September 24, 2001...
- Islamic Jihad Union
- Ansar al-Sunna
- Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin
- Harakat ul-Mujahidin/Alami
- JundallahJundallahJundallah, or Jondollah , also known as People's Resistance Movement of Iran , is an organization based in Balochistan that claims to be fighting for the rights of Sunni Muslims in Iran. It was founded by Abdolmalek Rigi who was captured and executed in Iran in 2010...
- Sipah-e-Sahaba PakistanSipah-e-Sahaba PakistanSipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan is a militant Sunni Deobandi organization, and a formerly registered Pakistani political party, established in the early 1980s in Jhang by Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi its stated goal is to primarily to deter major Shia influence in Pakistan in the wake of the Iranian...
- Lashkar-e Jhangvi
- Khuddam u-Islam
- Jamaat ul Furquan
- Harakat ul Jihad ul Islami
- Harakat ul Islami (Bangladesh)
External resources
- Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, MITP Terrorism Knowledge Base
- Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, GlobalSecurity.org
- Athena Intelligence Advanced Research Network on Insurgency and Jihadist Terrorism (former Jihad Monitor)