WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Washington acknowledged that al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has issued threats against chartered planes in Algeria, the U.S. State Department said.
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, the North African branch of al-Qaida, issued a threat against planes hired by oil companies in the region.
Mark Toner, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said embassy officials in Algiers received threat information and alerted potential targets of the possibility of an attack.
"We continue to work very closely with our key partners on the threat from international terrorism, including the role that al-Qaida continues to play," Toner said.
Toner added that, while al-Qaida's abilities have been degraded with Osama bin Laden and top leaders in Pakistan dead, its affiliates and adherents pose "a significant threat."
AQIM took responsibility for attacks on the Cherchell Military Academy last month in Algeria. The attack left 16 students and two civilians dead.
U.S. counter-terrorism officials told reporters during a background briefing that "these regional nodes are the way of the future" for al-Qaida threats.
