NewsBreakingOnline

Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian former special forces officer, has been named as the acting leader of al-Qaida, according to reports from Pakistan A fierce succession battle appears to be gripping the senior ranks of al-Qaida in the wake of the death of leader Osama bin Laden earlier this month, pitting regional affiliates against the central “hardcore” of the organisation. Reports from Pakistan named an Egyptian former special forces officer known as Saif al-Adel as the acting leader of al-Qaida. Al-Adel, who is in his late 40s, is a veteran militant who was close to bin Laden in the 1990s before being detained in Iran after fleeing Afghanistan following the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. According to Noman Benotman, a former Libyan militant now living in London, al-Adel was released from Iranian detention and returned to Pakistan last year. The report in the Pakistani The News newspaper identified al-Adel as having been chosen as “interim leader” of al-Qaida after a meeting at “an undisclosed location”. It also said that “none of sons of Osama Bin Laden has shown willingness” to take up a formal position within the organisation. One of the 54-year-old al-Qaida leader’s adult sons, Khaled, was killed with his father in the raid on Abbottabad. Others have been groomed for leadership roles but are currently too young or too inexperienced to command any real support. If confirmed, the appointment of al-Adel is a major blow to bin Laden’s close associate Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian extremist strategist who has long been seen as the group’s number two. Al-Zawahiri is reported to have been given the important, and usually shortlived, role of director of external or international operations for the group. This would nonetheless be something of a demotion for a man who was bin Laden’s closest associate and a major figure in his own right. It could also provide the first evidence of a major split within militant ranks. Senior al-Qaida-affiliated extremists in both Iraq and the Yemen have already pledged their support for al-Zawahiri, who is 59 and among the oldest contenders for the top position, and may not accept the leadership of al-Adel, even as an interim measure. “I tell our brothers in al-Qaida led by Ayman Al-Zawahiri, go on with God’s blessing and be glad that you have faithful brothers in the Islamic State of Iraq who are marching on the path of right,” Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, recently appointed head of the al-Qaida affiliated Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), said in a statement posted on the internet last week. Al-Baghdadi is thought to have been named to his post by al-Zawahiri. Rashad Mohammed Saeed Ismail, a senior Yemeni cleric who was close to bin Laden and has been linked to the local “Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula” affiliate was quoted by the Yemen Times as saying that “Al-Zawahiri is the best candidate.” “He is the right person to take over. All wings of al-Qaida would approve of him and all Jihadist movements trust him greatly,” Ismail was reported to have said. According to Evan Kohlmann, an American specialist in jihadi forums on the internet, senior members on top-tier al-Qaida web forums already see al-Zawahiri as leader of al-Qaida. Kohlmann reported that some extremists have begun calling al-Qaida “Jund al-Ayman” which means “The Soldiers of Ayman [al-Zawahiri].” Security sources told the Guardian that until there is some kind of communication from verifiable al-Qaida sources – such as the statement announcing bin Laden’s death – it is impossible to be certain who will become overall leader. “There are a whole range of variables…different factions and people and a very dynamic situation. It’s pretty impenetrable,” said one official. “Until we see anything more solid, all these reports are speculative.” Al-Qaida has always been troubled by factional splits. Evidence has emerged of increasingly acrimonious disputes between Libyan, Egyptian and other elements in recent years. There are also generational differences as well as fierce debates over tactics and strategy. “Some leading figures inside al-Qaida argue [it] is too soft, others that it is too extreme. Some want a greater focus on Egypt; others want a greater focus on other countries such as the Yemen,” Benotman, the former militant, said recently. Maintaining the network of alliances built up by bin Laden will be one of the biggest challenges facing any future leader. One recent communication from al-Qaida’s “Fajr Media Centre” indicated a possible direction for the group following the death of bin Laden. “We say to every mujahid Muslim, if there is an opportunity, do not waste it,” the statement said, calling on followers around the world not to consult with any central leadership but “to carry out acts of individual terrorism with significant results, which only require basic preparation.” al-Qaida Global terrorism Osama bin Laden Pakistan Jason Burke guardian.co.uk