Terrorism

Al-Qaeda slides into obscurity as extremist stance backfires

By Jana al-Masry

A destroyed vehicle is seen near the Syrian city of Idlib on September 20, 2021, the same day the US military said it had killed an al-Qaeda official in a drone strike. [Omar Haj Kadour/AFP]

A destroyed vehicle is seen near the Syrian city of Idlib on September 20, 2021, the same day the US military said it had killed an al-Qaeda official in a drone strike. [Omar Haj Kadour/AFP]

Once the world's most feared terror group, al-Qaeda is effectively leaderless and rudderless, with its extreme ideology and strategic failures alienating would-be recruits, according to terrorism experts and intelligence assessments.

More than two years after Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul, al-Qaeda central is rudderless, without an acknowledged leader.

"The era of al-Qaeda in the Middle East and the world has effectively ended," terrorism expert Wael Abdul Mutalib told Salaam Times affiliate Al-Fassel.

The group's decline can be attributed to two critical factors: its extreme interpretation of Islamic law and relentless counterterrorism efforts.

In Afghanistan, fewer than a dozen core members remain, with intelligence reports describing the country as "more of a nursing home for al-Qaeda seniors" than an operational base for the extremist group.

Religious extremism has eroded al-Qaeda's standing among Muslims.

"Al-Qaeda's religious discourse represents a complete departure from Islamic principles," former Saudi Islamic affairs deputy minister Tawfiq bin Abdul Aziz al-Sudairy told Salaam Times affiliate Al-Fassel.

Among them, "protecting civilians, respecting other faiths, and rejecting the practice of declaring other Muslims as infidels simply because they hold different views," he said.

Al-Qaeda completely violates these and other Islamic teachings, he added, illustrating the fundamental disconnect that has become the group's undoing.

Deepening crisis

The crisis the group is facing has deepened with its de facto leader Saif al-Adel seeking protection in Shia-majority Iran – a move that defies al-Qaeda's foundational ideology.

This creates what Georgetown University's Program on Extremism calls "difficult operational and theological questions."

"Al-Qaeda and the Iranian regime have completely different, even contradictory ideologies, but al-Adel has accepted this humiliation to survive," security analyst Khalil Ahmad Afzali told Salaam Times affiliate Al-Fassel.

The US-led war on terrorism has systematically dismantled al-Qaeda's capabilities and territorial control, particularly in the Middle East, Abdul Mutalib said.

Precision drone strikes have decimated its leadership, while counterterrorism efforts have disrupted its ability to attract followers. Meanwhile, the loss of al-Qaeda's Iraqi and Syrian franchises has significantly diminished its influence.

"A decade ago, it had relocated numerous experienced operatives to Syria, only to see most of them killed by drone strikes," CTC Sentinel reported. "If some have survived, their activities have been largely curbed by Tahrir al-Sham."

Once aligned with al-Qaeda's vision, Tahrir al-Sham and other Syrian factions have adopted a more moderate stance to ensure survival and avoid international isolation, rebuffing al-Qaeda's repeated outreach efforts for allegiance.

Global changes have imposed a "new reality" on extremist groups, pushing some toward moderation.

"Any return to extremism will be met with harsh international deterrence," said al-Sudairy, the former Saudi minister.

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However, I do not support killing of any human being, but when the atrocities of some countries are seen, one thinks that it would be better for the groups like Al-Qaeda, ISIS and other extremists to go to Russia and China. Yesterday I saw a video in which the Iranian president was praying in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin was also sitting nearby. But do the Russians really care about Islam and Muslims? If so, who killed a million Afghan Muslims in Afghanistan during the 9 years of occupation of Afghanistan? Wasn’t it Russia that bombed villages and houses in Afghanistan? Yes, they killed Afghans. These same Russians destroyed mosques in Afghanistan. They killed people, they killed millions of people. They forced Afghans to migrate to the neighboring and other countries. And in countries like Pakistan and Iran, Afghan migrants were forced to do hard labor works. During the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Christians, Muslims and non-religious Ukrainians all were killed similarly. China and Russia both are the sons of bitch. I read on this same website that the Chinese government is killing Muslims in that country, destroying mosques and torturing Muslims. Meanwhile, when the Chinese President visited Pakistan, the corrupt and hypocrite Pakistani government and army forced Muslim girls to dance for Xi Jinping.

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Yes, it is ok.

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