He “is not interested in fighting in the mountains. He thinks more internationally“, said of him Hamid Mir, biographer of Bin Laden, quoted by the think tank Counter-Extremism Project (CEP).
With him, in fact, “Al-Qaeda has become increasingly decentralized, with authority resting primarily in the hands of its affiliate officials“, adds the CEP which attributes to it a leading role in the reorganization of many jihadist groups.

"Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project and former coordinator of the ISIL, al-Qaida, and Taliban Monitoring Team of the UN Security Council, told The Media Line that the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan last August has led to a significant change in al-Qaida’s approach to its operations.

He explained that since bin Laden’s death and with the rise of his successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida became decentralized. At the same time, it has managed to expand through affiliates, stepping back from centralized, large-scale terrorist operations against the West, and concentrating on creating a broader base in Islamic countries."

"On this week’s edition of 'The Hunt with WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green,' Dr. Hans Jakob-Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, said Ayman Al- Zawahiri left clues to his whereabouts."