The so-called Islamic State, al-Qaeda and now the Taliban are radical jihadist groups focused on ridding the world from the threat, as they perceive it, that Western culture poses to Islam.

However, although broadly speaking they share a similar ideology, their views actually differ significantly - so much so that the three groups have often found themselves in conflict with one another.

And although there’s no disputing the fact that IS have dominated the media in recent months, both al-Qaeda and the Taliban are still very much at large.

But what are the differences between these three prominent terrorist organisations?

Al-Qaeda:

Al-Qaeda follows Wahhabism - an extreme form of Sunni Islam that insists on a literal interpretation of the Koran.

The group was founded in 1988 in Pakistan by Osama Bin Laden and Mohammad Atif shortly before Soviet forces withdrew from neighbouring Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda means ‘foundation’ in Arabic and they believe that they must use Jihad to mobilise their variation of Islam.

They believe in the concept of ‘defensive jihad’; that is to say, it is every Muslim’s obligation to fight those who might be seen as opposing Islam.

The terrorist group was behind 9/11 attacks in 2001 in New York which killed 2,977.

The group viewed the West and its culture as a threat to Islam, and its main goal was to establish an Islamic state based on Sharia law.

However, experts argue that al-Qaeda has fragmented over the years into a variety of regional movements that have little connection with one another.