Al-Qaeda threat evolving, Obama

Barack Obama says al-Qaeda is creating networks in countries such as Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Mali and these networks need to be disabled.

Barack Obama. (AAP)

The threat from US arch foe al-Qaeda is evolving and taking root in new places around the world, US President Barack Obama has warned.

"In Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Mali, we have to keep working with partners to disrupt and disable these networks," Obama told US lawmakers in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, adding the United States had put "Al-Qaeda's core leadership on the path to defeat."