Al Qaeda | Al Majalla

From jihadists to Syria's new rulers, HTS's evolution explained

Over 13 years, Syria's largest armed faction has evolved from IS offshoot to Al-Qaeda affiliate to local militia and, finally, the national government. Like Syria, it has completely transformed.

Abbas Sharifa 30, Jan 2025

1- An ISIS official announcing the capture of Tabqa air base to residents of Raqqa province, Syria, August 24, 2014. (Stringer/Reuters)

ISIS’s Leadership Crisis

It is only February, and already, the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) has had a rough year. ISIS’s supporters quickly went from cheering on a large prison break in northeast Syria to learning,…

Haroro Ingram, Craig Whiteside 25, Feb 2022

A Pakistani man reads a newspaper with the front page displaying news of the death of Osama bin Laden at a stall in Lahore on May 3, 2011. (Getty)

How a Courier's Phone Call Led to the Killing of Osama bin Ladin

On 2 May 2011 President Obama gave permission to the operation lead to the killing of Osama bin Laden, one of the most wanted people in American history. “Tonight I can report to the American people…

Dr Mujahed al Somaidai - London 07, May 2021

Mike Pompeo alleged that Iran has become a new "home base" for Al-Qaeda worse than Afghanistan

The Al-Qaeda-Iran Relationship

As the Trump administration winds down, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed a New York Times report that Al-Qaeda's second-in-command was killed last year in Tehran and accused Iran's government…

Al Majalla - London 15, Jan 2021

Al Qaeda's Franchise Reboot

Nineteen years after the terrorist attacks ofSeptember 11, 2001, doesal Qaedastill pose a significant threat toU.S.national security? Among researchers, military and intelligence officials, and…

Asfandyar Mir and Colin P. Clarke 18, Sep 2020

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PKK guerrillas scan for firing positions as they conduct military exercises in the mountains of northern Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region, 18 November 2006.

DAVID FURST / AFP

Politics

What next after historic PKK decision to disband?

11 May 2025

Türkiye hailed the move to dissolve what it deems a terrorist group that claimed over 40,000 lives, but vows the fight would continue should the process collapse

Omer Onhon

Al Majalla

Business & Economy

Trump's 'big' agenda in Saudi Arabia

11 May 2025

A high-powered delegation will accompany him on his first official foreign trip of his second term as US president, reflecting a diverse agenda, spanning trade, defence and geopolitics

Maher Chmaytelli

Kashmiri men react after the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, in Srinagar May 10, 2025.

REUTERS/Sharafat Ali

Politics

A nerve-wracking ceasefire holds between India and Pakistan—for now

11 May 2025

Tensions will simmer even as they step back from full-blown war

The Economist

Culture & Social Affairs

The Israel-Palestine 'conflict' through the lens of novelists

12 May 2025

Palestinian novelists continue to tell their stories, demanding the attention of a world that has often looked away. Meanwhile, Israeli writers grapple with existential questions and self-doubt.

Samir Qasimi