Ansar Al-Dine

History:
Ansar Al-Dine (AAD) was designed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on March 22,
2013. Operating in Mali, AAD was created in late 2011 after AADs leader, Iyad Ag
Ghali, failed in an attempt to take over another secular Tuareg organization. Ansar
Al-Dine means helpers of the (Islamic) religion or defenders of the faith. AAD is
a militant Islamist group led by Iyad Ag Ghali, one of the most prominent leaders of
the Tuareg rebellion in the 1990s. He is suspected of having ties with Al-Qaeda in
the Islamic Maghreb. AAD wants the imposition of strict Sharia law across Mali. The
groups first action was in March 2012. The organization is opposed to Sufi shrines.

Overview of Ideology:
The group seeks to impose sharia law across Mali, including the Azawad region.
Witnesses have said that AAD fighters wear long beards and fly black flags with the
Shahada inscribed in white. Unlike the National Movement for the Liberation of
Azawad, AAD does not seek independence but rather to keep Mali intact and
convert it into a rigid theocracy.

Tactics & Support:

In Mopti, the AAD fighters obtained access to heavy construction equipment from
fleeing contruction workers and used them to build fighting positions. The fighting
positions include an elaborate tunnel network and vehicular obstacles such as

trenches. AAD has reportedly carried out at least one convoy of 100 vehicles
carrying soldiers equipped with small arms. There have also been rumors that
fighters may have been able to obtain weapons from Libyas weapons depots after
the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. The AAD arsenal also includes anti aircraft weapons
which can be mounted on pickup trucks. Following the March 2012 coup that
toppled the Malian government, AAD was among the organizations to take over
northern Mali, destroy UNESCO World Heritage sites, and enforce a severe
interpretation of Sharia law upon the civilian population living in the areas it
controlled. Beginning in January 2013, French and allied African forces conducted
operations in northern Mali to counter AAD and other violent extremist groups,
eventually forcing AAD out of the population centers it had seized. Iyad Ag Ghali
remained free and by the end of 2013 some AAD fighters reportedly remained
active in northern Mali. AAD has fractured and its members have been largely
scattered by the French intervention in Mali. The groups membership numbers were
unknown at the end of 2013. AAD cooperates closely with and has received support
from AQIM since its inception, and some factions of AAD are believed to maintain
close ties to the group.

Timeline of Attacks:
AAD has received backing from Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in its fight
against The Government of Mali most notably in the capture of the Malian towns of
Agulhok, Tessalit, Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu between January and April 2012. In
March 2012, Tuareg rebels, reportedly including AAD, executed 82 Malian soldiers
and kidnapped 30 others in an attack against the town of Aguelhok. Before the

French intervention in January 2013, Malian citizens in towns under AADs control
who did not comply with AADs laws, reportedly faced harassment, torture, or
execution. AAD was severely weakened by the French intervention in Mali, but
continued to participate in and support attacks in Mali, reportedly including bringing
arms and fighters into Kidal in September 2013, in advance of an AQIM-led attack
that killed at least two civilians.

Risk to Stability:
The Government of Mali, both while it was led by an interim government following
the March 2012 coup detat and with a newly elected national government in 2013,
has been willing U.S. counterterrorism partner, if constrained by a number of
serious challenges. The January international military intervention led by French
Serval forces enabled the Government of Mali to gradually restore control over
major northern population centers and begin to deny safe haven to terrorist groups
like AAD and prevent them from further imposing extreme interpretations of Islamic
law. Although the ongoing international military intervention has succeeded in
wresting control of the north back from violent extremists, these extremist groups
have maintained a foothold there and have continued to launch attacks to
undermine the security and stability of Mali and its neighbors. Ansar Al-Dine would
probably be rated a 4 since the organization hasnt had as many attacks as other
groups, but they are connected to Al-Qaeda which brings their possible risk impact
up a bit.