AQIM denies issuing statement against Syria\'s Jabhat al-Nusra

AQIM leaders have told the media to be wary of false statements Armed Islamist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has denied issuing a statement accusing Syrian rebel group, Jabhat al-Nusra of conspiring with France, calling it \'a fake ,\' Arabstoday has exclusively learnt.
The report was signed by Abu Huzaifa al-Gharib, who the organisation claims is not an affiliate.  
AQIM has asked media outlets to gather their news directly from the organisation\'s recognised official web accounts, stating that information published elsewhere is invalid.
The discredited statement released on Monday, entitled: The True Face Of The Crusade - Conspiracy Against The Muslims In The Maghreb, claimed a French plot in cooperation with Maghreb countries was aimed at sending large numbers of jihadists from the Islamic Maghreb to northern Mali, where French troops are involved in an operation against Islamist groups.
It is thought the announcement was published in an attempt to end the cooperation with jihadists sent to Turkey and onto Syria, stating: \"France and the Arab Maghreb regimes are coordinating; this means a conspiracy has been hatched against Syria to recruit jihadists from Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Western Europe.\"
The statement also warned that France is keen on waging a silent war, with diligent attempts to deprive the Islamic Maghreb countries of their jihadist powers.
The report added: \"The AQIM is in desperate need of the support of Tunisians, Moroccans, Libyans and Mauritanians. Jihad in this front - northern Mali - is more worthy of your help due to the aggression on these lands and the front’s need for men.\"
A security source noted that several jihadists in Tunisia, eastern Algeria, France and Italy had been sent the report.
In response to the falsified document, AQIM have issued another statement asserting that the Muslim youth should not travel for war without guidance from their senior jihadist leaders.
The statement indicated that \"those willing to immigrate to serve God, to move to Syria and fight Bashar al-Assad’s regime, in the name of Jabhat al-Nusra, should instead join the jihadist ranks of the AQIM to fight in northern Mali.\"