Experts and US intelligence fear a resurgence of Al-Qaeda.

More than two and a half years after the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, American experts and counterterrorism officials say his organization remains a major threat to both the Middle East and North Africa.

Assessments accompanying numerous recent reports indicate that U.S. lawmakers and intelligence officials are increasingly concerned about Al-Qaeda's workforce expansion, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.

Scene of a bombing in Iraq suspected to have been carried out by Al Qaeda (Source: AFP/VNA)

Speaking at a counterterrorism conference in Washington in December, General James Mattis, who commanded U.S. Marines in the Iraq War and later oversaw U.S. operations throughout the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and Afghanistan, argued that the West understands Al-Qaeda and, as a result, is unable to develop an effective plan and propaganda strategy to defeat the terrorist organization.

While Bin Laden's top lieutenants may have died or been killed by U.S. special forces or in drone strikes, jihadist groups in Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, and West Africa have still carried out numerous major attacks over the past year.

In 2013, jihadist fighters influenced by or linked to Al-Qaeda attacked a shopping mall in Kenya, killing at least 72 people, seizing a gas facility, and taking 39 hostages.

Al-Qaeda attacks are currently on the rise in Iraq. In Egypt's Sinai desert, experts fear that local militant groups may be aligning themselves more closely with an official branch of Al-Qaeda.

Jihadist fighters have emerged as the strongest force among the rebel ranks in Syria seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.

According to VNA