A report said that militant group Al Qaeda has although dismissed a United States assessment that said that the group is in decline as a "lie" but an online message issued by the outfit made no mention of the Islamic State (IS) that is seen as Al Qaeda's rival for the leadership of global jihad.
Hossam Abdul Raouf, an Egyptian veteran of the militant outfit who served under slain leader Osama Bin Laden, sought to downplay the recent splits within its network by saying that the slip-ups, errors that have occurred are smaller in number in comparison to the "mountains of good deeds and successes," reported News 24.
He added that compensation and apologies had been given to unintended victims but did not provide any details.
Raouf said that the group has been expanding across the globe.