Al-Qaida

War in Yemen In a Devastated Country, One City Is Thriving

The city of Marib in Yemen was long seen as an al-Qaida stronghold. But as the rest of the war-ravaged country descends ever deeper into chaos, it has become an unofficial capital with booming businesses and a popular university, a place poised between horror and hope. Von Christoph Reuter

In a Devastated Country, One City Is Thriving - Sana'a center

Terrorist Attacks Why It's So Hard to Track a 'Lone Wolf'

So-called "lone wolf" terrorists, like the man behind the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, are difficult for authorities to monitor -- but Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric is no solution. Von Peter Bergen

Why It's So Hard to Track a 'Lone Wolf' - REUTERS

Hope in Montreux? A Starting Point for Peace in Syria

Violence in Syria has been appalling in the run up to this week's peace talks in Switzerland, where rebel and government representatives are to sit down together. Secret meetings in recent months give cause for hope. Von Christoph Reuter

A Starting Point for Peace in Syria - REUTERS

Masked Army Jihadist Group Expands Rapidly in Syria

A murderous Islamist group called ISIS is obstructing Syrian rebels in their battle against President Bashar Assad's regime. The Free Syrian Army seems barely able to put up a fight in the face of their brutal tactics. Von Christoph Reuter

From Jail to Jihad Former Prisoners Fight in Syrian Insurgency

Some have done time for terrorism, while others were radicalized inside: Former prison inmates are now on the frontlines of the Syrian civil war. The jihadists fighting alongside the rebels are discrediting the insurgency, just as Damascus may have hoped. Von Raniah Salloum

Former Prisoners Fight in Syrian Insurgency - AFP

Terror Retooled Al-Qaida Thinks Globally But Acts Locally

The new warning last week of possible imminent attacks by al-Qaida fueled fears far beyond America's borders. But the movement founded by Osama bin Laden has long since shifted from mass international attacks to local battles -- with success. Von Christoph Reuter

Al-Qaida Thinks Globally But Acts Locally - DPA

Fodder for the Front German Jihadists on Syria's Battlefields

Jihadists from Germany are engaging in combat, and dying, on the side of the rebels in Syria. Authorities fear the young and inexperienced fighters will be radicalized before they return to Europe, assuming they survive at all. Von Kurt Pelda

German Jihadists on Syria's Battlefields - REUTERS

Interview with Ahmed Rashid The West Should 'Change Its Approach to Failing States'

Ahmed Rashid, one of the world's foremost experts on Afghanistan, once welcomed US intervention in the failed state. But in a SPIEGEL interview, the Pakistani journalist says the West's model for development is fundamentally flawed and must be changed.

The West Should 'Change Its Approach to Failing States' - REUTERS

Calling Big Brother Germans Consider Brit-Style CCTV after Foiled Bombing

Germany's former capital narrowly escaped a deadly bombing last week when a device placed on a train station platform failed to detonate. The authorities suspect radical Islamists, but they are having trouble finding the perpetrators due to a lack of recorded surveillance images. The case has reignited calls for greater use of CCTV in Germany. Von SPIEGEL Staff

Germans Consider Brit-Style CCTV after Foiled Bombing - DPA

Detox Man versus KSM The 9/11 Prosecutor's Quest for Transparency

Pre-trial hearings in the prosecution of 9/11 mastermand Khalid Sheikh Mohammed began last week at the US base at Guantanamo. Chief Prosecutor Mark Martins hopes to create as fair a trial as possible, despite the death penalty being almost a foregone conclusion. But the challenges are daunting and the American government is making his task difficult. Von Matthias Gebauer

The 9/11 Prosecutor's Quest for Transparency - AP

Rebels Reject Jihad Are Reports of al-Qaida in Syria Exaggerated?

Intelligence reports claim that members of the al-Qaida terrorist network are streaming into Syria to join the rebel ranks. But the rebels deny the allegations and say that jihadists are not welcome. In any case, it is the Assad regime that has long had ties to al-Qaida. Von Kurt Pelda, Christoph Reuter und Holger Stark

Are Reports of al-Qaida in Syria Exaggerated? - AFP

In Search of 'True' Islam Salafists Abandon Germany for Egypt

Salafist Muslims influenced by a controversial preacher are leaving Germany to move to Egypt in search of the "true" Islam. German intelligence officials, who have been cracking down on radical Muslim groups recently, are concerned they may end up in networks linked to al-Qaida.

Salafists Abandon Germany for Egypt - dapd

'Dangerous Preacher' Former Bin Laden Bodyguard Living in Bochum

A man who was part of Osama bin Laden's team of bodyguards has been living in the western German city of Bochum for years. Authorities say the Tunisian man is a "dangerous preacher," but attempts to expel him from the country have so far failed.

Former Bin Laden Bodyguard Living in Bochum - DPA

Jihad against America Relations Remain Icy Between Pakistan and the US

Washington and Islamabad have barely been on speaking terms since US forces killed Osama bin Laden last year. But with American and NATO troops set to leave neighboring Afghanistan soon, nuclear-armed Pakistan has little motivation to improve relations. Hatred of the US is growing in the country. Von Hasnain Kazim und Gerhard Spörl

Relations Remain Icy Between Pakistan and the US - REUTERS

Interview With German Intelligence Chief 'We Must Be The First to Go In and the Last to Leave'

The new head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence service, Gerhard Schindler, 59, tells SPIEGEL he wants the agency to become more willing to take risks. He also says al-Qaida is becoming more influential in northern Africa and that the killing of Osama bin Laden hasn't significantly weakened it.

'We Must Be The First to Go In and the Last to Leave' - Werner Schuering/ DER SPIEGEL

Redefining Imminent Are Obama's Efforts to Justify Drone Warfare Aimed at Iran?

When it comes to America's security, President Barack Obama has turned out to be just as ruthlessly determined as his predecessor -- particularly when it comes to using drones to wage the war on terror. But the target of his recent legal repositioning might have much less to do with terrorists than with Iran. Von Thomas Darnstädt, Marc Hujer und Gregor Peter Schmitz

Are Obama's Efforts to Justify Drone Warfare Aimed at Iran? - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Islamists against Assad Foreign Extremists a Danger to Syria's Revolution

Al-Qaida's leader is calling on Muslims to join in Syria's revolution and to fight the Assad regime. But jihadists from neighboring countries may already have joined the ranks of the opposition Free Syrian Army. Their presence could be the death blow to the revolution. Von Ulrike Putz

Foreign Extremists a Danger to Syria's Revolution - AP

Tension in Yemen Al-Qaida Activity Puts Regime Change in Doubt

The security situation in Yemen is fragile -- but in recent days it has been even more so. Al-Qaida militants seized a city near the capital, threatening plans for President Saleh to step down. Although he has now left the country and the militants have abandoned the city, there is continued fighting and questions about the future. Von Alexander Smoltczyk

Al-Qaida Activity Puts Regime Change in Doubt - AP

Suicide Attacks in Nigeria Islamist Terror Network Gains Strength in Africa

On Christmas Day, the extremist Muslim sect Boko Haram carried out a suicide attack on a church in Nigeria that killed dozens. By allying itself with groups such as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, it has been gaining in strength and is threatening to spark a religious war in Nigeria. Von Horand Knaup

Islamist Terror Network Gains Strength in Africa - REUTERS

Victory or Martyrdom Al-Qaida Still Planning Attacks in Germany

German authorities last week arrested a suspected terrorist thought to have links to al-Qaida. Even more concerning, he appears to have been pursuing attack plans despite the arrests of three of his presumed accomplices in April. Officials believe that more members of the so-called Düsseldorf cell may still be at large. Von Holger Stark