Al-Qaeda leader appears in new video on 9/11 anniversary

• Al-Zawahri discusses the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan but not the Taliban takeover, suggesting the possibility this may not be a recent reference. Under Donald Trump, the United States entered into an agreement with the Taliban committing to leave Afghanistan in February 2020.
• The only specific date referenced by al-Zawahri in the video is a Jan. 1 attack, which targeted Russian troops near the northern Syrian city of Raqqa.

The big picture: President Biden and his national security advisers have downplayed the threat posed by al-Qaeda following the United States' withdrawal.

• Al-Qaeda's power remains unclear, but the Taliban released many of the group's senior operatives when it captured Bagram Air Base last month.
• Civil war will "likely" erupt in Afghanistan and this could lead to al-Qaeda's resurgence, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Fox News.

Of note: Biden now plans to combat terror groups in Afghanistan from "over the horizon," and warns that the threat has "metastasized" beyond Afghanistan and al-Qaeda.

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