How al-Qaeda and Islamic State are digging into Africa
The terrorist group’s African franchises are now punchier than those in the Middle East
Thirteen years have passed since al-Qaeda’s last big plot against America, a botched effort to blow up New York’s subway in 2009. The war in Afghanistan is over. Americans and Europeans are preoccupied with other crises, from Ukraine to Taiwan. But the two Hellfire missiles that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s leader and Osama bin Laden’s successor, on a balcony in Kabul on July 31st were a reminder of his group’s staying power.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Al-Qaeda and Islamic State are both digging into Africa”
From the August 13th 2022 edition
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