[Ennahar] The leader of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat,... now known as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb...
Abdelmalik Droukdel,
... aka Abdel Wadoud, was a regional leader of the GSPC for several years before becoming the group's supremo in 2004 following the death of then-leader Nabil Sahraoui. Under Abdel Wadoud's leadership the GSPC has sought to develop itself from a largely domestic entity into a larger player on the international terror stage. In September 2006 it was announced that the GSPC had joined forces with al-Qaeda and in January 2007 the group officially changed its name to the
Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb....
alias Abu Mosaab Abdelouadoud, called for Jihad in Libya against the West, including the United States of America.
The latter considered the foreign military intervention as a new war of crusades.
In an audio recording, Droukdal warns against suspicious movements of Americans and their allies. "They are enemies, beware ... Mohammedans in Libya must prepare for war now."
Droukdal advises Libyans to rely only on themselves before wondering "If the Americans and NATO are themselves evil, how can we expect good from them." "Do not trust the Americans," he told them, accusing the Americans of stealing the wealth of the country. According to him, the situation on the ground requires the intervention of Salafist groups in a long war against the Americans and NATO. A call to jihad and a clear announcement of the entrance of Salafist Group on the front line in Libya.