It is a pretty astonishing story of rebirth.
Ten years ago al-Qaeda was on the run.
It had lost training camps, money and men - crushed by American and Pakistani operations.
And then, to make matters worse, its local franchise in Iraq went off the rails, becoming so barbaric that al-Qaeda's own supporters turned against it.
So how did al-Qaeda turn things around? In a word: strategy.
It learnt from its mistakes and went on a charm offensive - delivering gas and water to people, taking over bakeries and selling cut-price bread.
And it seems to be working.
Al-Qaeda and its affiliates are known to operate in Syria and Iraq, in Afghanistan and in Yemen, and in several African countries including Mali, Somalia and Niger.
While IS is losing support all over the Middle East, al-Qaeda's star is rising.
In fact, it is now so popular that, in the long run, al-Qaeda may pose the greater threat.
You can listen to The Inquiry: What happened to al-Qaeda? on the BBC World Service website or download the programme podcast.

Baquer Namazi, 80, was arrested on Monday in Tehran, his wife Effie Namazi said on Facebook.
Mr Namazi's son, Siamak Namazi, a dual US-Iranian citizen, was detained by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard in October while visiting family.
Officials have yet to announce charges against Siamak.
Baquer Namazi, who is also a dual US-Iranian citizen, was taken to Evin Prison, where his son is also being held, Mrs Namazi said in her post.
He has a serious heart and other conditions which requires special medication, she said.
"Now both my innocent son Siamak and my Baquer are in prison for no reason. This is a nightmare I can't describe," she wrote.
"I have been trying to find out more information but have been unable to do so. The lawyer also couldn't get any information or get to see him."
Asked at a Senate hearing about the elder Mr Namazi's arrest, US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "I am very familiar with this and I am engaged on it specifically, but I am not permitted due to privacy reasons to go into details here."
US State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said the agency was aware of reports that a US citizen had been detained in Iran.
A former Iranian provincial governor and Unicef official, Baquer Namazi was more recently running Hamyaran, an umbrella agency for Iranian non-governmental organisations.
His son Siamak was most recently working for Crescent Petroleum in the United Arab Emirates, and previously headed a consulting business in Iran.
Baquer Namazi's arrest comes more than a month after a high-profile prisoner swap between Iran and the United States, which saw five Americans released from Iranian prison in return for clemency for seven Iranians.
Three of the four freed US-Iranian prisoners, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, left Iran late last month. A fourth did not fly with them, US officials said.

A number of quad bikes, motorbikes and other equipment were taken during the raids in the west end and Peterculter areas of the city.
Police said the incidents happened between Monday 2 January and Thursday 5 January.
The arrested men are expected to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Barely out of the headlines a few years ago, al-Qaeda may now appear to have been eclipsed by so-called Islamic State - but, according to four of the world's leading experts on the organisation founded by Osama Bin Laden, it is more dangerous than ever, as The Inquiry team explains.
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Iranian authorities have arrested the elderly father of an American who has been in jail in Iran for the past four months, the man's family said.
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Three men aged 17, 19 and 22 are to appear in court following a series of break-ins and attempted break-ins at garages in Aberdeen.