Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri reemerges with new video released on September 11th.

 

A screen-grab from the video. 

Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri reemerges with a new video released on September 11th. Politico. The head of al-Qaeda has been reported dead, and may actually be, but the video referenced events that happened his year, including the agreement to withdraw from Afghanistan and an al-Qaeda terror attack targeting Russians in Syria this January. In the video al-Zawahri blasted Judaism and praised terror attacks. Al-Zawahri is the last of the old school Jihadist leaders with most of his fellows either killed or imprisoned. 

My Comment:

Looks like the rumors of al-Zawahri's death are at least partially false. It doesn't sound like this video was recorded recently but it shows that he was alive at least in 2021. That doesn't mean he is still alive as the rumors were that he was critically ill, but who knows what the truth is. 

My guess is that the leadtime was due to security measures. Al-Zawahri is beyond the use of most traditional communication efforts. He can't simply call up a video recording crew, he has to use a courier that contacts someone else and so on and so forth. If he had called someone he would have eaten a hellfire missile so it's clear that the delay is due to security concerns. He can't simply record a video, there is a huge process in getting it done. 

Western media isn't speaking too much about what al-Zawahri said. The Long War Journal has more information but it isn't exactly a flattering picture of al-Qaeda. Much of the video was praising dead al-Qaeda leadership, which isn't a good sign that your terror group is active and strong. It also praises the Taliban and the various al-Qaeda sub-groups, like al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula. 

Of course both articles kind of buried the lead, which is the fact that the leader of al-Qaeda is calling for new attacks. Given the historical importance of the day the video was released I think there is a chance that this video could lead to new attacks. 

Or at least the attempt to do so. Remember, core al-Qaeda is basically al-Zawahri himself and whatever few followers that are left. They don't have much ability to do anything, let along carry out an international terror attack. Indeed, they are essentially irrelevant and only act as a figurehead right now. 

But AQAP and other al-Qaeda affiliates do have some ability to launch terror attacks. But even these groups are a shadow of what they used to be. Much of their leadership and funding is dead and gone and they also have to compete with what is left of ISIS. They could launch attacks, but if they reach beyond the Middle East I would be surprised and absolutely stunned if they were able to attack the United States. 

The real worry is that this video may inspire lone wolf attackers. Especially with the fact that Joe Biden just brought in a huge number of unvetted Afghani "refugees". A lot of these people are not the people that helped the US government, like translators and government officials. They are just people that happened to be at the airport at the time. It's very possible that one of them could see this video and pull out an attack. Same with radical Muslims across the world...