In Peshwar, al-Zawahiri is thought to have become radicalized by other Al-Jihad members, abandoning his old strategy of a swift coup d'état to change society from above, and embracing the idea of takfir.
I Peshawar menes Zawahiri at være blevet yderligere radikaliseret af andre Al-Jihad-medlemmer, idet han opgav sin gamle strategi med at gennemføre et hurtigt statskup, og således ændre samfundet fra oven.