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September 11: Al Qaeda 11 Years After The Terrorist Attacks

What Al Qaeda Looks Like 11 Years After 9/11
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The Tribute in Light shines above lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and One World Trade Center, left, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 in New York. Sunday will mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers affiliated with the international terrorist network al Qaeda carried out a string of attacks that took the lives of nearly 3,000 people. In the 11 years that passed since the tragic events of 9/11, al Qaeda underwent some dramatic transformations.

The U.S. war in Afghanistan has reduced the group's power base in Afghanistan, while affiliates in west Africa and Yemen have gained in strength. Al Qaeda forged alliances with the Somali militant group al Shabab, carrying out deadly attacks in London and Madrid.

Yet many of al Qaeda's leaders have been captured or killed. According to CNN's Peter Bergen, CIA drone strikes have killed 15 of the most important players in al Qaeda under president Obama, while 16 key al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan were killed during the George W. Bush presidency. The terrorist network lost its longtime leader Osama bin Laden in a U.S. raid on May 1, 2011, as well as its deputy Yahya al Libi in June 2012.

HuffPost World takes a look at al Qaeda's leadership, 11 years after 9/11. Who's still in power? Find out in the slideshow below:

Al Qaeda 11 Years After 9/11
Osama Bin Laden(01 of12)
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Al Qaeda's longtime leader was killed in an American raid on his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 1, 2011. (AP Photo, File) (credit:AP)
Ayman al Zawahri(02 of12)
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Ayman al Zawahri became al Qaeda's new leader after the death of Osama bin Laden. He is believed to be hiding in Pakistan and regularly releases propaganda videos. (AP Photo/SITE Intel Group) (credit:AP)
Abu Yahia al Libi(03 of12)
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Abu Yahia al Libi was al Qaeda's de facto no. 2 after the death of Bin Laden. He escaped a high-security U.S. prison in Bagram, Afghanistan, in 2005. Al Libi was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan in June 2012. (AP)
Nasser al Wahishi(04 of12)
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Al Wahishi was once bin Laden's aide-de-camp and now commands AQAP, an al Qaeda's affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula. (AFP/GettyImages) (credit:AFP/GettyImages)
Ibrahim Hassan al Asiri(05 of12)
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Saudi Ibrahim Hassan al Asiri is believed to be responsible for building the underwear bomb used to try to bring down a Detroit-bound jetliner on Christmas 2009, as well as the printer-cartridge bombs. (AP) (credit:AP)
Said al Masri(06 of12)
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Al Qaeda's no. 3 was killed in an American drone strike in May 2012. (Reuters TV) (credit:Reuters TV)
Fazul Abdullah Mohammed(07 of12)
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Mohammed, who led the organization in Eastern Africa, was killed by the Somalian army in June 2011. (AP) (credit:AP)
Abu Musab al Zarqawi(08 of12)
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Al Qaeda's brutal leader in Iraq was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2006. (AP Photo/U.S. Department of State, HO) (credit:AP)
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed(09 of12)
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Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the attacks of 9/11, was captured in Pakistan in March 2003 and is currently being held at Guantanamo Bay. (AP Photo/FBI)CORRECTION: An earlier version of this slide misstated the date of Sheikh Mohammed's capture. (credit:AP)
Saif al Adel(10 of12)
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Al Adel was Bin Laden's former security advisor. He is still on the run. (Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Adnan el Shukrijumah(11 of12)
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Adnan El Shukrijumah is reportedly responsible for al Qaeda's external operations. He lived in the U.S. for more than 15 years. (FBI) (credit:FBI)
Atiyah Abd al Rahman(12 of12)
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Al Rahman was al Qaeda's liaison for Iraq, Iran and Algeria until he was killed on August 22, 2011 in Pakistan. (AP Photo/National Counterterrorism Center) (credit:AP)

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