FROM THE EDITOR.

• Author: Cruickshank, Paul

One year ago, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, raising concerns that they would again provide al-Qa'ida with a safe haven.

Soberingly, in the months before his death in a U.S. airstrike at the end of July, al-Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was releasing videos encouraging global terror, while living in a salubrious neighborhood of Kabul under the apparent protection of the Haqqani Taliban.

This special issue of CTC Sentinel focuses on evolving dynamics relevant to the terrorism threat landscape one year into Taliban rule. In the feature article, Andrew Watkins takes a deep look at the Taliban's first year in power. He writes: "Until the subtle, almost imperceptible attempts to nudge the needle on controversial issues within the movement gain more momentum, the Taliban's emphasis on policing public life--and most critically, keeping women out of it--is likely to continue. And given this dynamic, al-Zawahiri's killing under sanctuary in Kabul may confront the Taliban with a greater obligation to shore up their legitimacy among jihadi circles than to fall in line with international expectations on counterterrorism."

Our interview is with Edmund Fitton-Brown, the outgoing coordinator of the ISIL/Al-Qaida/Taliban Monitoring Team at the United Nations, who argues that a key determinant of the future international terror threat will be the degree to which the Taliban inhibit al-Qa'ida from launching attacks...