“Today, Al Qaeda and its affiliates maintain a presence in ‘some 16 different theaters of operation – compared with half as many as recently as five years ago,’ according to the report. In Syria in particular, the civil war may be providing Al Qaeda ‘with a chance to regroup, train, and plan operations, much as the US invasion of Iraq revitalized the network and gave it new relevance,’ notes the report. While these Al Qaeda groups have been busy expanding in other parts of the globe, within the confines of the United States, the threat of attacks ‘has shifted away from plots directly connected to foreign groups,’ in the report’s estimation, ‘to plots by individuals who are merely inspired by them.’”
