Ibrahim Saehon/Al Jazeera
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has been active in northern Mali for a decade.
May Ying Welsh/Al Jazeera
Ansar al Din is a Malian armed group that hosts al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) much as the Taliban did in Afghanistan.
May Ying Welsh/Al Jazeera
A young mujahid in Timbuktu.
Ibrahim Saehon/Al Jazeera
Al-Qaeda has had some success in winning over people in northern Mali.
May Ying Welsh/Al Jazeera
But many are still afraid of them.
May Ying Welsh/Al Jazeera
The Mujahideen distribute charity in hospitals and slums.
Ibrahim Saehon/Al Jazeera
French AQIM member and former MSF aid worker Abdul Jalil attends Friday prayers in Timbuktu.
/Al Jazeera
A rare image of Ansar al Din head Iyad Aghali who has refused numerous interview requests from Al Jazeera
Ibrahim Saehon/Al Jazeera
Al-Qaeda have millions of Euros in hostage ransoms to spread in one of the poorest regions on earth.
/Al Jazeera
Yet most Tuaregs still prefer national liberation movements like the MNLA who are penniless
May Ying Welsh/Al Jazeera
“We want our sisters to feel the wind in their hair,” says Tuareg herder Bukhadou.
May Ying Welsh/Al Jazeera
Burned Mali Army tank, Tinzouatene. Defeated, Mali began relying more on ethnic paramilitaries to fight Tuareg rebellion.
Ibrahim Saehon/Al Jazeera
Colonel Habi Ag Al Salat was an Army commander who witnessed Mali’s northern strategy from the inside.
May Ying Welsh/Al Jazeera
Countless Malian soldiers have died in the Sahara trying to crush the never-ending Tuareg insurgency.
May Ying Welsh/Al Jazeera
The isolation of Northern Mali and poverty of its people makes it ideal for drugs, weapons and people smuggling.
/Al Jazeera
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb calls for preserving the territorial integrity of Mali.
May Ying Welsh/Al Jazeera
Northern Mali's vast deserts of rock and sand are believed to contain oil, gas, and uranium.
Ibrahim Saehon/Al Jazeera
The author at Ansar al Din's guesthouse in Timbuktu. The graffiti says "Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb".