U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria have prompted several central al Qaeda groups, including its two most dangerous regional affiliates, to reconsider their opposition to the ultraviolent offshoot organization.
According to U.S. counterterrorism officials, both the North Africa-based al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have seen defections of fighters and leaders to the Islamic State in recent weeks.
The first indictor came Sept. 15 in a joint statement issued by both groups that appeared to support the Islamic State without using its name, U.S. officials said. The groups urged jihadists in Iraq and Syria to join forces against the common enemy and fight the U.S.-led military coalition.
Read the full article at the Washington Times.