“Osama Bin Laden had been tracked down to a hideout in Pakistan – repeatedly shot and his body taken away – reportedly dropped in the sea.” For many, the reaction was triumphant. The man was gone, would Al Qaeda itself collapse?
‘Since the death of Osama bin Laden five years ago, Al Qaida has weakened in terms of its lethality and potency of operations and its financial muscle has largely decreased’ Said Mwendia Mbinjwe, Security analyst
But it’s certainly not broken Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri took over the leadership and in the past five years, Africa has been a frequent target.
To the East, its affiliate Al Shabab has struck repeatedly in Somalia – and Kenya. To the West, Al Qaeda has launched deadly attacks in Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire and Mali. But it’s not the only jihadist group determined to claim Africa. From a foothold in Libya, ISIL has hit targets in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt. Nigeria’s Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to ISIL – even some Somali jihadists have dumped Al Qaeda in favour of ISIL.
‘They are all affiliating to the new kid on the block who has the money to finance them (cover cut) African forces fighting the current brand of terror must study ISIS, how the operate and anticipate the kind of attacks and operations coming to their regions’ Said Mwendia Mbinjwe, Security analyst
Al Qaeda remains a deadly force. But five years on, Bin Laden’s movement is facing its biggest challenge, possibly bigger even than the death of the man himself.
