Image Credentials: Image Title: 24 Years After 9/11, Expert Warns Al Qaeda Remains Top Threat and ‘We Have Lost’ the War on Terror Source: (Craiyon) Date: September 2025. Attribution: Created using AI-generated imagery (Craiyon), this does not depict a real-world scene.
By Liam Scott | Staff Writer with Agencies
WASHINGTON – Nearly a quarter-century after the 9/11 attacks that killed 2,977 people, a leading terrorism analyst has issued a stark warning: the world has lost the broader War on Terror, and the al Qaeda network that orchestrated the deadliest attack on U.S. soil remains the most dangerous terrorist organization globally.
Bill Roggio, a senior editor and expert analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital that despite the rise of groups like ISIS and Hamas, the threat from al Qaeda is more pervasive and deeply entrenched than ever before.
“The most dangerous terrorist group 24 years after 9/11 remains al Qaeda,” Roggio stated. “With the support of the Taliban, the situation there is far worse than it was pre-9/11.”
According to Roggio, al Qaeda is not merely a weakened remnant of its former self. It is currently operating training camps in at least 13 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces under the protection of the Taliban. Furthermore, its global network has expanded, controlling “probably more than a third of Somalia” through its affiliate, al-Shabab. He also expressed skepticism about severed ties with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which now governs parts of Syria, suggesting the group remains a de facto al Qaeda affiliate.
The Critical Danger of Safe Havens
Roggio identified the proliferation of safe havens as his primary concern. He argued that when terrorist groups are granted “the time, the space and the security to plot, to execute, to recruit, to raise funds,” they can orchestrate catastrophic attacks on the scale of 9/11.
“Afghanistan – al Qaeda, running training camps, the Iranians continuing to provide haven, countries like Iraq, where the Shia militias are permitted to operate, al-Shabab… has haven in the areas they control,” he listed, emphasizing that these sanctuaries exist in “multiple places now.”
Evolving Tactics and Shifting Public Sentiment
The expert also highlighted the evolving nature of the threat. Terrorist groups now have access to more sophisticated weaponry, often through state sponsors like Iran, and are leveraging accessible technology such as drones and artificial intelligence. However, Roggio cautioned that a lack of advanced technology is not a barrier to devastation.
“Nobody thought that box cutters and some training on airlines would lead to 9/11, and yet it happened,” he noted.
Perhaps more alarmingly, Roggio pointed to a shift in public sentiment as a key indicator of failure in the War on Terror. He cited open support for groups like Hamas and a rise in antisemitism as evidence that the ideological battle is being lost.
“When you look at the attitudes toward jihadist organizations, look at the support for Hamas today… the rise in antisemitism and the decrease in support for Israel – these are all indicators that things are trending for the jihadist organizations,” Roggio said. “To me, these are indications that we have lost the war on terror.”
A Call for a Renewed, Multi-Faceted Strategy
Roggio concluded that the West currently lacks the “will” to address the root causes of extremism. He argued that while a purely military solution is insufficient, a committed strategy to counter radical ideology and remove state sponsorship is essential.
“We defeated Nazi Germany,” he pointed out. “It’s something that can be done. We had the will to do it. Our hesitation, our unwillingness, our lack of commitment in these countries has emboldened them… Until we remove the state sponsorship, until we can effectively deal with the purveyors of the radical ideology, these threats will persist.”
His assessment paints a sobering picture 24 years after 9/11: a resilient and expanding al Qaeda, a landscape dotted with terrorist safe havens, and a troubling shift in global public opinion that, collectively, signal a critical failure in the long-standing war against terrorism.
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