Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) declared its allegiance to al Qaida's new leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, on Thursday, according to a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). In an interview released by AQIM's media wing Al-Andalus, Sheikh Abu 'Ubayda Yousef Al-'Annabi, who is a member of the group's Sharia Council, swore his allegiance to Zawahiri on behalf of AQIM, asserting that the group is prepared and dedicated to carrying out its new leader's commands.

AQIM is the North Africa affiliate of al-Qaida that formally declared its allegiance to al Qaida in 2003 and officially merged with it in 2006.

AQIM's declaration follows a similar pledge made by the Somali jihad organization al-Shabaab, which praised Zawahiri's appointment in a statement on June 20, and urged other jihadi group's to follow suit.