A leader of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has called on al-Qaeda prisoners in Mauritania to rejoin the group in its desert strongholds.
Abdelrahman al-Tandaghi, also known as "Abu Anas al-Shanqiti," called on the prisoners to re-link with the organization and take up "jihad" in a video released by AQIM's media arm.
The call comes as groups of Mauritanian intellectuals claim they have made strides in their government-sanctioned efforts to convince captured al-Qaeda militants to renounce "extremist thought" and violence.
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