On the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2026, U.S. and international analysts assessed that al Qaeda remains present and operational in Afghanistan despite Taliban claims the country is no longer a terrorist sanctuary. While al Qaeda's central leadership has weakened, regional offshoots remain active.
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The Taliban claim that Afghanistan is no longer a sanctuary for terrorist groups, but Al Qaeda and others are still present, reviving old fears.
25 years after 9/11, the terrorist group al-Qaeda is no longer the global terrorist organization it once was. Its central leadership has been weakened, but offshoots remain strong across Africa and Asia.
25 years after 9/11, we rarely hear about the state of the organization responsible for the attacks. The Atlantic recently put out a piece on al-Qaeda that says in part, "analysts can't decide if the terrorist organization is all but defunct or more threatening than ever." The article's author, Graeme Wood, joins "The Takeout" to discuss.