The al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly known as the Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC)) is a violent extremist group based in Algeria. The organization has operated since 1996 and is now the most significant terrorist movement in Algeria. As the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, the group broke away from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), which was the primary terrorist entity during the 1992-2000 insurgency in Algeria. GIA aims to create an Islamist state in Algeria. While the GSPC broke away from GIA in 1998, both groups maintain the objective of overthrowing the secular Algerian government and establishing an Islamist state in the country. The word 'salafi' means fundamentalist, and Salafists believe in a "pure" interpretation of the Koran. While not all Salafists are extremists, GSPC's objectives are rooted in this ideology. <br /><p><br />As a result of the long, bloody conflict from 1992-2000, which cost over 100,000 lives, GIA's support was relatively weak in Algeria. Using this weakness to its advantage, GSPC pledged to avoid inflicting civilian casualties in Algeria. While the group has in fact killed civilians, the numbers are significantly less than the casualties of the GIA. Instead, GSPC concentrated on targeting Algerian government and security forces, especially those in rural areas. The group has also pledged to attack Western targets and has been linked to several foiled attacks against U.S. and European targets in Western Europe. The GSPC has usurped GIA as the primary terrorist force in the country, and because of its minimal attacks against civilians, GSPC benefits from a larger support network in the country. According to some reports, GSPC has also been able to take over many of GIA's contacts with other extremists, including al-Qaeda allies. GSPC has publicly pledged its allegiance to many of these terrorist entities, and also officially pledged its allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2003.  In early September 2006, Ayman al-Zawahiri publicly approved the merge of al-Qaeda with GSPC. The latter officially announced its name change in February 2007 in a public announcement following six near-simultaneous attacks of police stations in towns east of Algiers.<br />