Journalists look at arms and ammunition that military commanders said were seized from Islamic fighters on June 5, 2013, in Maiduguri, Nigeria, near where the radical group Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 girls in April 2014. Jon Gambrell/AP
A Map of All the Countries That Now Have Al-Qaeda Affiliated Terrorist Groups
The latest group to join the list is Nigeria’s Boko Haram. By Nikhil Sonnad
The United Nations decided late last week to add Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram to its list of terrorist organizations formally recognized as being associated with al Qaeda.
The UN said in its statement that Boko Haram—whose name loosely translates to “Western education is a sin”—has “maintained a relationship with the Organization of Al-Qaida [sic] in the Islamic Maghreb for training and material support purposes.”
Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has been referring to the group as a terrorist organization since last year and arresting members accordingly. But his country’s battles with Islamism have been launched onto the international stage since Boko Haram abducted hundreds of schoolgirls last month. This has put Nigeria on the map in a way Jonathan would have done best to avoid.
It has also put Nigeria on this particular map of countries with recognized al-Qaeda affiliates.
Pakistan is home to the largest number of al-Qaeda affiliates, with 12, followed by Afghanistan with five. The full list is available from the UN Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee.