The Devolution of Al Qaeda

There are two battlegrounds in the war against jihadism: the physical and the ideological. As we head into 2008, however, there are signs that the ideological war is not going so well for the jihadists. [more]

The death of top Indonesian militant leader Noordin Mohammad Top leaves a significant leadership vacuum, and his group will be challenged to fill it. [more]

An unusually deadly attack in Algeria on June 17 could have been a fluke, or a sign that skilled jihadists are returning home from foreign battlefields. [more]

Forty members of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb are said to have died in Algeria from the plague. [more]

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden released an audio message Jan. 14. As al Qaeda prime's significance has faded, so too has the significance of such messages from bin Laden. [more]

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb will use a coup in Mauritania to recruit members and build support but will remain focused on Algeria. (With Stratfor map) [more]

A dozen or more people reportedly were killed June 8 when a pair of bombs exploded in quick succession at an Algerian train station at Beni Amrane, about 50 miles east of Algiers. [more]

At least eight people were killed and 24 others were wounded June 2 in a suicide attack after a vehicle loaded with explosives detonated in a parking lot outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad. [more]

Osama bin Laden's 18-year-old son is recruiting young people -- particularly those with mental deficiencies or from broken homes -- to form small jihadist cells, a source told Stratfor. [more]

The Somalian militant group al Shabab's relationship with al Qaeda -- and the implications of that relationship -- bears examination. (With Stratfor map) [more]

Recent statements from al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, speak volumes about fear and loathing in the Middle East and the jihadist groups goal of playing spoiler in Iraq. Analyst Kamran Bokhari and Marla Dial explore. [more]

In this members-only podcast, Middle East Director Kamran Bokhari and Marla Dial explore the meaning behind al Qaeda's recent Q&A initiatives and the significance of Ayman al-Zawahiri's statements on Iran. [more]

After a temporary decline, al Qaeda in Yemen appears to be resurging under the leadership of Nasir al-Wahayshi, as shown by a recent increase in attacks in Yemen. [more]

The trial of eight men accused in connection with the 2006 plot to bomb a series of airline flights originating from London’s Heathrow Airport is providing insight into the involvement of the core al Qaeda leadership. Most notably, however, the trial serves as a reminder that al Qaeda remains fixated on aircraft as targets and that, in spite of changes in security procedures since 9/11, aircraft remain vulnerable to attack. [more]

The pattern of recent attacks in Yemen indicates that jihadists, while amateurs, are present in the country and that violence there will continue. (With Stratfor map) [more]

The CIA confirmed March 20 the authenticity of an audio message attributed to Osama bin Laden posted to the Internet on March 19. [more]

An attack against the U.S. Embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and another strike against a Yemeni government compound elsewhere in the country March 18 appear to have been the work of Yemen's resurging jihadist insurgency. [more]

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is holding two Austrian tourists kidnapped Feb. 22 in Tunisia, Al Jazeera television reported March 10. The kidnapping represents a shift in AQIM's usual tactics and a further expansion of its operations. [more]

U.S. aircraft launched strikes in southern Somalia on March 3 to target Islamist militant leaders thought to have ties to al Qaeda. [more]

The U.S. war in Afghanistan often is seen as a "good war" even by those who oppose the U.S. involvement in Iraq. The Afghan war is in trouble, however. Whether that matters depends upon the status of al Qaeda. [more]