While the world thought that the chapter on Al-Qaeda was closed, former Afghan National Security Officials are warning of the silent revival of this terrorist group within the Taliban structure.
Ahmad Zia Siraj and Ajmal Abedi, former head and deputy head of the Afghan National Security Directorate, in an analytical article published in the prestigious security publication The Cipher Brief, say that Al-Qaeda has expanded its activities once again by taking advantage of its deep influence in the Taliban structure and allied networks and is seeking to implement the strategy of “endless jihad.”
According to these security officials, Al-Qaeda has not only not disappeared, but today acts as an umbrella of support for other global terrorist groups.
They emphasize that al-Qaeda has globalized its battlefield by ignoring traditional concepts such as geography and time, a process that has helped its survival and is a serious threat to global security.
Siraj and Abedi have warned that the international community has alarmingly underestimated the threat posed by al-Qaeda.
In their view, al-Qaeda fighters fight with deep ideological motivations rather than material interests, which has led to the group’s inextricable links with other jihadist movements, especially the Taliban.
This analysis is published at a time when concerns about Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, becoming a safe haven for extremist groups have once again been on the agenda of analysts and international security institutions.
