The Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain, or GICM) is an extremist Islamic fundamentalist group operating in North Africa and suspected of having links with al-Qaida. Its goals reportedly include establishing an Islamic state in Morocco. The group emerged in the late 1990s, apparently drawing on Moroccan jihadists who had fought or trained in Afghanistan. It was named as a terrorist organisation by the United States Department of State in December 2002. [1] The phrase Islamic fundamentalism is primarily used in the West to describe Islamist groups. ... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Azores, Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The GICM has allegedly been associated with major terrorist attacks. In 2003, an attack in Casablanca killed 30 people. In 2004, an attack on the public transportation system in Madrid killed 191 and wounded more than 1900. Salafia Jihadia, an offshoot of the GICM, is blamed for both. It was named by Spanish interior minister Angel Acebes as the "priority" for investigations into the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks, although he insisted that the possible involvement of other terrorist organisations had not been ruled out. 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Casablanca from space Hassan II Mosque A view on the Boulevard de Paris in central Casablanca Parc de la Ligue Arabe Casablanca (Arabic: الدار البيضاء, transliterated ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʼ) is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Plaza de Cibeles (Cibeles square) and the Palacio de Comunicaciones (Communications Palace) Coat of arms. ... The 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks (also known as 11/3, 3/11, M-11 and 11-M) were a series of coordinated terrorist bombings against the commuter train system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of 11 March 2004, which killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800. ...

On October 10, 2005, Great Britain's Home Office banned GICM and fourteen other terrorist groups from operating in the United Kingdom. Under Britains' Terrorism Act 2000, being a member of a GICM is punished by a 10-year prison term. The Terrorism Act 2000 is a current United Kingdom Act of Parliament - An Act to make provision about terrorism; and to make temporary provision for Northern Ireland about the prosecution and punishment of certain offences, the preservation of peace and the maintenance of order. ...

The fourteen banned terrorist groups were:

• Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
• Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain
• Ansar al-Islam
• Al Ittihad Al Islamia
• Islamic Jihad Union
• Ansar al-Sunna
• Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin
• Harakat ul-Mujahidin/Alami
• Jundallah
• Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
• Lashkar-e Jhangvi
• Khuddam u-Islam
• Jamaat ul Furquan
• Harakat ul Jihad ul Islami
• Harakat ul Islami (Bangladesh)

The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) is the most powerful radical faction waging holy war against Colonel Moammar al-Qadhafi. ... Ansar al-Islam (Arabic: انصار الاسلام, Supporters or Partisans of Islam) is a Kurdish Islamist group, promoting a radical interpretation of Islam and holy war. ... Jaish Ansar al-Sunna or Army of the Protectors of the Sunna (faith), is an Islamist militant group in Iraq fighting US-led occupation and US-backed interim government of Iyad Allawi. ... Hezb-e Islami (Islamic Party) is an Islamic group led by warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, with the goal of driving Soviet occupiers from Afghanistan. ... Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) (previously Harakat al-Ansar), the HUM is an Islamic militant group based in Pakistan that operates primarily in Kashmir. ... Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan was previously known as Anjuman Sipah-e-Sahaba (ASS); this dubious acronym made them change their name. ...

See also

• Islamism
• Islamic Terrorism
• Terrorism
  • List of terrorist groups