Al-Qaeda’s central leadership weakened, but regional affiliates remain active
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, al-Qaeda operates less under its own name, but groups linked to it remain active amid weak state structures and local conflicts.
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, al-Qaeda’s central leadership has been weakened by counterterrorism operations, intelligence cooperation and policing. Its regional affiliates, however, remain active across parts of Africa and Asia, according to an assessment published by Deutsche Welle.
The group’s strategy has changed since Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011. Rather than relying primarily on spectacular attacks directed against a distant enemy, al-Qaeda-linked groups have increasingly pursued local alliances, territorial influence and smaller-scale operations.
In the Sahel, JNIM has sought influence through local relationships and competition for territory, fighters and resources. The group claimed responsibility for an attack on the international airport in Niger’s capital, Niamey, in June 2026. Al-Shabaab remains active in Somalia, while al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operates in Yemen. Afghanistan is described in the report as a safe haven.
The strength of these affiliates is linked not only to jihadist ideology but also to weak state structures, unresolved conflicts and what analysts cited by Deutsche Welle describe as an “economy of violence”, including kidnapping, smuggling and looting. Claims about recruitment, territorial control and operational capacity remain difficult to verify.
Al-Qaeda also faces competition from Islamic State, which the report describes as more media-focused and attractive to some younger jihadists. While Islamic State’s expansion was followed by a collapse, al-Qaeda has survived through a slower, locally rooted approach, even as its broader appeal has declined.
The limits of current knowledge were illustrated in late August, when the US Treasury removed Abdullah al-Muhaysini, the Nusra Front and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from its sanctions list in connection with a new US policy on Syria. The full reasons for the removals were not detailed in the source material, and the organisation’s current leadership and capabilities remain unclear.
