A Malian jihadist group says it is joining forces with Islamic extremists who are loyal to the alleged mastermind of an attack on an Algerian gas plant.

In the statement posted Thursday on a Mauritanian web site, the newly aligned forces are also vowing to stage attacks in Egypt.

The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, which seized control of Gao in northern Mali last year, was later forced to retreat into the desert after the French-led military intervention.

It says it is now joining forces with Moktar Belmoktar, who broke away from al-Qaida's North African branch to start his own group.

The statement was carried by the Nouakchott Information Agency, which is often used by jihadists in West Africa to post messages.