By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 16 April 2019
Several years ago, Al-Qaeda made a strategic decision to refrain from foreign terrorist operations, refocusing away from these global spectaculars towards integrating more closely into local conflicts. The 2014 rampage across Iraq and Syria by Al-Qaeda’s rebellious former Iraqi branch, the Islamic State (ISIS), provided both the
opportunity and additional incentive for a
long-mediated rebranding effort. However, there have recently been signs of a shift back towards external terror operations, just as ISIS
undergoes a setback and Al-Qaeda has a chance to reassert its dominance over the jihadi scene.
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