Al-Qaeda admitted responsibility for an attack on the US embassy in Kenya that killed 212

Twenty years ago, Osama bin Laden and a band of like-minded associates created a group that sought to maintain a military force that would wage jihad around the world.

In August 1998, the organisation admitted responsibility for the bombings of two US embassies in Africa, and three years later they perpetrated the worst act of terrorism ever witnessed on US soil.

Al-Qaeda has also been responsible for the funding and training of insurgent movements everywhere from Afghanistan to the Philippines.

They have managed to survive the loss of their leaders and the fragmentation of their group, as well facing a backlash from those who would once have been supporters.

Does al-Qaeda remain the primary terrorist threat to the US and the rest of the world?

This week on Riz Khan we take a look at the state of al-Qaeda 20 years after it was founded and explore what the future holds for Osama bin Laden's operation.

Watch Part One of this episode

Watch Part Two of this episode

This episode aired from Monday, August 17, 2008

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