Name one al-Qaeda affiliate.

• A. AQIM
• B. Al-Shabaab
• C. AQAP
• D. Taliban

Answer: (C)

An al-Qaeda affiliate is a group that operates under the al-Qaeda umbrella, sharing leadership, ideology, and strategic aims as part of its global network. AQAP, the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, is the clear example here because it is the official branch based in Yemen with formal ties to al-Qaeda’s core leadership, carrying out operations and propaganda in line with the broader network. That connection makes it a straightforward, well-recognized affiliate.

The other groups listed are also associated with al-Qaeda in various degrees—AQIM in North Africa and Al-Shabaab in Somalia are established affiliates—but the Taliban, while allied and cooperative with al-Qaeda, is not typically categorized in the same formal affiliate sense.