Islamic State – Algeria Province
The Islamic State – Algeria Province (IS-AP; Arabic: الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية الجزائر, ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah – Wilayah al-Jazā’ir) is a branch of the militant Islamist group Islamic State (IS), active in Algeria. The group was formerly known as Jund al-Khilafah fi Ard al-Jazair (Arabic: جند الخلافة في أرض الجزائر, meaning Soldiers of the Caliphate in the land of Algeria or Caliphate Soldiers of Algeria).
| Algeria Province | |
|---|---|
| ولاية الجزائر (Wilayah al-Jazair) | |
Logo of the Islamic State's Algeria Province | |
| Leaders | Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (2014-2019) † (Leader of ISIL) Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (2019-2022) † (Leader of ISIL) Abdelmalek Gouri (governor/wali) † |
| Dates of operation | 14 September 2014 – 2016 2017-Present |
| Active regions | Algeria |
| Ideology | Salafism Salafi jihadism |
| Size | Fewer than 30 (Dec. 2014) |
| Part of | Islamic State |
| Opponents | Algeria Morocco Tunisia Western Sahara United Kingdom United States |
After kidnapping a 55-year-old French mountaineering guide, Hervé Gourdel, the group stated in a video on 22 September 2014, that the kidnapping was a fulfilling of an order of IS spokesman al-'Adnani to attack citizens of countries fighting with the U.S. against IS. On 24 September 2014, Wilayah al-Jazair claimed to have beheaded Hervé Gourdel.
It is classified as a terror group by the UK, as well as by the US under the name Jund al-Khilafah (JAK-A). Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have also designated it as a terrorist group.