AQIM, originally known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), splintered from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), a key participant in the Algerian Civil War, in 1998. In 2006, the GSPC became a formal affiliate of Al Qaeda (AQ) and changed its name to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).  The group is famous for kidnapping Westerners for ransom in North Africa and is active in the drug, arms, and human trafficking trade. AQIM is one of the wealthiest terrorist organizations in the world. In March 2017, AQIM’s Sahara branch merged with Al Mourabitoun, Ansar Dine, and the Macina Liberation Front (MLF) to form Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), a hierarchical militant alliance principally led by AQIM. Since joining JNIM, AQIM’s independent operations have largely subsided, but the group continues to maintain independent forces in Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is a Sunni terrorist organization and Al Qaeda (AQ) affiliate based in Yemen. Emerging from the 2009 merger of the Yemeni and Saudi Arabian branches of Al Qaeda, AQAP has claimed numerous attacks in Yemen and has also targeted Westerners at home and abroad. The group is known internationally for the "underwear bomber" who attempted to detonate a bomb on a Detroit-bound airplane in 2009 and for the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. AQAP is distinguished from other AQ branches as one of the more capable members of the global AQ network.