Al-Quaeda after Bin Laden, al-Zawahiri deaths, wetin remain?

Di sudden, violent, but not entirely unexpected death of di al-Qaeda leader last weekend don raise di inevitable question: Wetin go become of di organisation?

In fact, wetin be al-Qaeda and e even dey relevant any more for 2022?

Al-Qaeda for Arabic mean "di base".

Na banned terrorist organisation wey aim to attack Western interests around di world and to bring down goments across Asia and Africa.

Dem consider say these goments dey too close to di West and dia Islam no sound well-well.

How al-Qaeda start?

Dem form al-Qaeda for di late 1980s for di Afghan-Pakistani borderlands out of di remnants of di Arab volunteer army, wey go fight di Soviets wey bin invade and occupy Afghanistan.

Only a generation ago al-Qaeda na like household name all across di world and dem dey seen as di number one security threat for di West.

Why? Because for dat time dem don succeed in pulling off a series of ever bolder, ever more complex and successful attacks.

And in turn inspire more violent followers to join dia ranks.

Di attacks al-Qaeda carry out

For 1998, e carry out simultaneous bombings on America embassies for Kenya and Tanzania, wey lead to di death of mostly African civilians.

For 2000, dem use one tiny speedboat wey dem pack wit high explosives hit di USS Cole for Aden harbour, 17 sailors die for di attack and di attack cripple di billion-dollar warship.

Then, on a cloudless blue New York morning on 11 September 2001, "di world change forever".

Afta months of secret planning, al-Qaeda operatives hijack four US airliners for mid-flight and steer two of dem enta New York iconic World Trade Centre, dem bring down these two giant skyscrapers in a fireball of flames and dust.

Dem crash anoda plane into di Pentagon, home of di US Department of Defense, for di fourth plane, di passengers overpower di hijackers and crash di plane for one field, killing all onboard.

Nearly 3,000 pipo die dat day. Dis dey known as "9/11" because for di US calendar system dis attacks happun on di 11th day of di ninth month.

Na simply di worst terrorist attack ever on mainland America and e set in train two decades of di controversial US-led "war on terror".

9/11 dey plotted and planned from al-Qaeda bases on top di mountains of Afghanistan, wia di Taliban dey give dem shelter.

So di US and Britain then dat kontri, remove di Taliban and drive di al-Qaeda comot.

E take America another 10 years before dem fit track down and kill al-Qaeda's elusive leader, Osama Bin Laden, for May 2011.

So wetin remain for al-Qaeda now?

Di al-Qaeda quickly replace Osama Bin Laden wit Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri. But e die from one drone strike.

During di 11 years e use as leader, di former Egyptian eye surgeon no near or even match di charismatic appeal wey im predecessor Bin Laden enjoy among di young, violent-minded jihadists.

Im recorded video messages, wey dey always call for attacks on di West and dia allies, always dey long and boring. E no get mass appeal.

Before long, pipo dey comot al-Qaeda to a new, ultra-violent splinter group wey call dia self di Islamic State, or "ISIS", short for Islamic State in Iraq and Sham (greater Syria).

Young jihadists, impatient for new attacks, bin mock al-Qaeda leadership, say e no get liver, na only tok but no action. ISIS get di action. 

Beta informate, and few successes

Di 9/11 attacks come as ogbonge failure for America intelligence.

Even though, Washington miss some important clues, di attack succeed partially.

Na unto say CIA and FBI bin no dey share dia secrets with demselves. Dat don change.

US and Western Intelligence agencies now dey more informed, dem dey collabo more and di way dem dey hire pipo from inside al-Qaeda and ISIS mean dem be less terror attacks wey dey successful.

Safe home for Afghanistan?

But place no dey to hide say last year kasala wit di way di West comot Afghanistan don create very dangerous new opportunities for al-Qaeda.

Di fact say dem find al-Zawahiri wia e tanda comfortable for Kabul "safe house" near Taliban leadership, show say hardcore jihadist pipo for di Takiban no get plan to separate from al-Qaeda.

Afghanistan get special importance for al-Qaeda.

Na hia wey Osama Bin Laden wen e still de young, wealthy and idealistic, cari im family engineering skills come to build care complexes for di 1980s to fight Soviets wey invade.

Na hia e bin live for five years from 1996-2001 under Taliban protection.

And na hia, al-Qaeda dey ginger to establish demselves again, now wey Tliban don return to power.

Africa - new battleground for jihadist

Before, al-Qaeda na small centralised, organisation but now e don become global licence wey get followers around di world.

Especially for places wey dey ungoverned or poorly governed.

For Somalia, for instance, di al-Qaeda partner, "al-Shabab" na di number one jihadist group.

Africa don turn di new battleground for jihadist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS, especially for di Sahel area for northwest Africa.

Dem no just dey fight to bring down wetin dem dey call "apostate" goment, dem dey fight demselves as civilians dey suffer for di middle.

Middle East

Al-Qaeda, still be Middles Eastern terror group.

Bin Laden na Saudi, al-Zawahiri na Egyptian, di senior leadership, as e be, na nearly all Arab.

Dem still get ogbonge presence for for northwest Syria, wia US drone strikes and special forces aides dey normally hit suspected hideouts.

With di death of al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda fit now decide to revive dia fortunes wey dey die with new leader and new strategy.

Na mumu intelligence agency go tink say di threat of di group don die with di leader.