In what appears to be a new strategy of Al Qaeda the alleged Chief of the organization, Ayman al-Zawahiri has appeared in an audio interview urging fighters to take Western hostages and exchange them for jailed jihadists.
https://youtu.be/_R8yMPjS2-4
In recording posted online, Al-Zawahiri called on the global militant network to kidnap Westerners “until they liberate the last Muslim male prisoner and last Muslim female prisoner in the prisons of the Crusaders, apostates, and enemies of Islam,” according to SITE.
Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the recording. Zawahiri is believed to be seeking refuge in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area that is the Taliban’s base.
Although Al Qaeda has seemingly been on the back burner since the meteoric rise of ISIS, they are no less of a worry to many around the world.