After Bin Laden

Osama bin Laden is dead but al-Qa'ida remains the CIA’ s 'number one threat’ . With branches in strategic hotspots from Yemen and Somalia to North Africa and an increasing influence among 'home grown jihadis’ in the West, journalist and al-Qa'ida expert Abdel Bari Atwan investigates how the organisation has survived all attempts to destroy it. Al-Qa'ida after bin Laden has expanded its reach by cementing new alliances and exploiting the opportunities regional turmoil affords. The Arab Spring has opened new battlegrounds for jihadists, particularly in Libya, the Sahel, Syria and Egypt. As the extremist zeal for a global caliphate shows no sign of abating, Atwan profiles the next generation of foot soldiers and leaders and explores the new methods they embrace in the pursuit of jihad in a digital age. 'One of the sharpest commentators about al-Qa'ida and the Middle East . . . Atwan’ s sobering assessment deserves a wide audience. ’ Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt: from 9/11 to Abbottabad, The Ten-Year Search for Osama bin Laden 'Atwan captures the essence of Osama bin Laden, the man, his leadership, and why we will never be free of the legacy he left behind. Intelligent and fascinatingly readable’ Pat Lancaster, Editor-in-Chief, Middle East Magazine 'An extraordinarily gifted, experienced and knowledgeable analyst of Arab affairs . . . this is essential reading. ’ Dame Ann Leslie DBE

Contents: Abbreviations 7 Introduction: After bin Laden 9 The Arab Spring and al-Qa'ida 35 Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula 76 Somalia's al-Shabaab 102 The Taliban - al-Qa'ida nexus: Afghanistan 123 The Taliban - al-Qa'ida Nexus: Pakistan 145 Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and the Sahel 163 Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb: Libya 190 Ongoing and New Alliances 208 The Digital Battleground 234 Conclusion: The Next Generation 253 Notes 267 Select Bibliography 281