As al-Qaeda Wanes, Global Terror Attacks Hit 7-Year Low

Following Osama bin Laden's death, terrorist attacks around the globe dropped to the lowest level since 2005 last year—but there were still 10,283 attacks. That's down from 11,641 in 2010, ABC News reports. In addition to bin Laden's death, the State Department says the killing of other top al-Qaeda operatives, including Anwar al-Awlaki, caused the drop. The terror network is now "on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse," says the department's report.

Even so, terrorism is still a very real problem, particularly in "states undergoing very challenging democratic transitions," says the State Department's counterterror coordinator, adding that Syria is worrisome due to reports of al-Qaeda operatives there. Al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and Africa are also particularly dangerous, and as Boko Haram flexed its muscles in Nigeria, terror attacks actually increased there last year. (More terror attack stories.)