The map of Islamist extremism: where are the main groups and what influence do they have in the world?

(CNN Spanish) – The return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan, 20 years after being overthrown after the US invasion in October 2001, has generated a wave of concern and uncertainty in the world.

Founded in 1994 by the veteran Muhammad Ali Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban are a Sunni Islamist organization operating primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan, mostly made up of members of the Pashtun ethnic group.

In 1996 they seized power in Afghanistan and imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law – or sharia – which included heavy restrictions on women, within the framework of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They also established ties with Osama bin Laden, then al Qaeda leader and mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

They were overthrown in 2001 by a coalition made up of the United States, other NATO member countries, and local tribes of the Northern Alliance, but now they have again established dominance over most of the territory, including major cities, after the start of the withdrawal of American troops.

The following is a list of some of the main extremist Islamist groups in the world, which like the Taliban seek to impose their interpretation of Islamic law in different countries, based on information from the corporation. Rand, the Center for International Security and Cooperation of the Stanford University (CISAC), the Tony Blair Institute for Social Change, the office of National Intelligence Director of the United States, the Council of Foreign Relations, the UN and the Wilson Center.

Some of these groups are also considered terrorists by various governments, including the United States.

Algeria

-Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: emerged in 1998 as the Salafist Group of Preaching and Combat, during the civil war in Algeria, and in 2006 it formally affiliated with Al Qaeda and changed its name, according to CISAC.

It is one of the richest Islamist organizations, whose fortune is based on drug, arms and human trafficking in the region, as well as extortionate kidnapping.

Afghanistan

-Taliban

-Red Haqqani: It is a powerful family clan, loyal to the Taliban, operating in northern Afghanistan.

-ISIS Greater Khorasan: affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in Afghanistan, also known as ISIS-K.

-Lashkar-e-Toiba: formed In the early 1990s, it maintains its focus on the Kashmir region and its bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and has launched numerous attacks on India.

-Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent: This affiliate of al Qaeda Opera from 2014 based in the Afghan provinces of Helmand and Nimruz, and carrying out actions in India and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh: began operations in the early 2000s, carrying out attacks against religious minorities, and maintains ties with ISIS, according to the Tony Blair Institute.

-Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent

Benin

-Boko Haram: Formed in the 1990s with headquarters in Nigeria, Boko Haram seeks to impose a regime based on Islamic law in several West African countries, according to indicates the office of the United States Director of National Intelligence.

Since 2013 it has been considered a terrorist organization by the United States, and in 2015 the group became affiliated with ISIS.

Cameroon

-Boko Haram

Chad

-Boko Haram

China

-Islamic Party of Turkestan: formed in the late 1990s as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, it is based in the federal tribal areas of Pakistan and seeks to establish a caliphate in Uzbekistan and the so-called “Turkestan” regions, a region between the Caspian Sea and the Chinese autonomous territory of Xinjiang. .

Egypt

-Hasam Movement: The Harakat Sawa’d Misr group, known as the Hasam Movement, was formed in 2015 and has been responsible for numerous attacks in Egypt. It was designated as a terrorist organization in 2021.

-Shura Council of the Mujahideen in the Surroundings of Jerusalem: founded in 2012, he was designated a terrorist by the US in 2014 and operates in the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

-Al Gama’a al Islamiyya: created In the 1970s, it was one of the largest extremist organizations in Egypt and designated a terrorist by the US in 1997.

Philippines

-Abu Sayyaf / ISIS: formed in the early 1990s as an Islamist separatist group, it promotes the formation of an Islamic state in Mindanao and Sulu, Philippines.

Loop

-Hamas: I know formed in 1987 during the first Palestinian intifada, based in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood organization. Since 2006, he has governed the Gaza Strip and has ongoing conflicts with Israel.

-Palestinian Islamic Jihad: formed in 1979 in Egypt by Palestinian students, he seeks to establish an Islamic state in Palestine and destroy Israel.

Indonesia

-Mujahideen of East Indonesia: this group, operating in Java and Sulawesi, maintains ties with ISIS and began its actions in 2012.

-Jemaah Islamiya: formed in the 1990s with the intention of imposing an Islamic state in Southeast Asia, its first attacks occurred in 1999.

India

-Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent:

-Lashkar-e-Toiba

Iran

-Jundallah: Created in 2003, the group operates in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan, in Iran, and was qualified as a terrorist organization by the US State Department in 2010. It regularly clashes with the armed forces of Iran.

Iraq

-ISIS: the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria arose in the early 2000s with the intention of founding an Islamic caliphate in these territories, which he achieved in 2014, before being expelled in 2019.

-Al Qaeda: Osama bin Laden I think the group in 1988 with fighters who had participated in the fight against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. They seek to create a caliphate throughout the Islamic world and have staged numerous high-profile terrorist attacks, including the one on September 11, 2001. With numerous affiliates around the world, al Qaeda has also participated in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

Kenya

-Al Shabbaab: considered since 2008 As a terrorist organization by the US, al Shabbaab came to control large portions of the territory of Somalia in 2006 and then began carrying out attacks in Kenya as well.

Lebanon

-Hezbollah: I know formed as an extremist group in 1982 during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, and promotes Shiite Islam on its political platform. Since 1992, he has participated in the Lebanese government. In recent years it has extended its influence in Syria, mired in a civil war.

Libya

-Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

-Ansar the Sharia: formed After the civil war of 2011 that overthrew Muammar el-Qaddafi, it tries to implement Islamic law – sharia.

Mali

-Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

-Boko Haram

Mauritania

-Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

Nigeria

-Boko Haram

Niger

-Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

-Boko Haram

Pakistan

-Tehrik-i-Taliban: alliance of militant networks loyal to the Taliban and operating in Pakistan.

-Lashkar-e-Toiba

Russia

-Imm Shamil Battalion: founded in 2017, the group he is a suspected ally of al Qaeda in the Caucasus.

-ISIS of the Caucasus: affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in the Caucasus region.

Somalia

-Al Shabbaab

Syria

-Imam Bukhari Jamaat: designated terrorist organization in 2018 by the United States Department of State.

-ISIS

-Hay’at Tahrir al Sham (al Qaeda): formerly known as Frente al Nusra, it is a extremist group Created in 2011 it has participated extensively in the civil war in Syria and maintains ties to al Qaeda.

Tunisia

-Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

Uzbekistan

-Islamic Party of Turkestan (former Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan)

Yemen

-ISIS-Yemen: affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in Yemen.

-Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula: emerged in 2009 after the union of different Yemeni and Saudi extremist groups, under the umbrella of al Qaeda. Following the outbreak of civil war in Yemen in 2015, the group has been fighting both the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government.