Briefing | The state of al-Qaeda

The unquenchable fire

Adaptable and resilient, al-Qaeda and its allies keep bouncing back

THE atrocity visited on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping centre by al-Qaeda’s Somali affiliate, the Shabab, was a bloody reminder that reports of the terrorist network’s demise have been much exaggerated. From Somalia to Syria, al-Qaeda franchises and jihadist fellow travellers now control more territory, and can call on more fighters, than at any time since Osama bin Laden created the organisation 25 years ago.

This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “The unquenchable fire”

Briefing September 28th 2013

The new face of terror

From the September 28th 2013 edition

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