Three Islamic extremist factions in Mali announced that they have merged into one group and pledged allegiance to al-Qaida's leader. According to a group that monitors extremists websites, leaders from Ansar Dine, al-Mourabitoun and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb made the official declaration in a video distributed yesterday. <br/><br/>The merged group is now called "Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen." Iyad Ag Ghaly, the former leader of Ansar Dine who is a native of the Kidal region, is leading the combined group.