WASHINGTON — A year after the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda that carried out the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is essentially gone but its affiliates remain a threat to America, U.S. counterterrorist officials say.
Al-Qaeda’s new leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, still aspires to attack the U.S., but his Pakistan-based group is scrambling to survive, under fire from CIA drone strikes and laying low for fear of another U.S. raid. That has lessened the threat of another complex attack like a nuclear dirty bomb or a biological weapon, officials say.
Al-Qaeda’s loyal offshoots are still dangerous, especially Yemen’s al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. While not yet able to carry out complex attacks inside the U.S., such groups are capable of hitting Western targets overseas and are building armies and expertise while plotting violence, according to senior U.S. counterterrorism officials who briefed reporters Friday.
