Al-Qaida names its new leader
Source: Agencies |
June 17, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
VETERAN militant Ayman al-Zawahri has taken command of al-Qaida after the killing of Osama bin Laden, an Islamist website said yesterday, a move widely expected following his long years as second in command.
Bin Laden's lieutenant and the brains behind much of al-Qaida's strategy, Zawahri vowed this month to press ahead with al-Qaida's campaign against the United States and its allies.
"The general leadership of al-Qaida group, after the completion of consultation, announces that Sheikh Dr Ayman Zawahri, may God give him success, has assumed responsibility for command of the group," the Islamist website Ansar al-Mujahideen (Followers of the Holy Warriors) said.
The bespectacled Zawahri had been seen as bin Laden's most likely successor after the man held responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington was shot dead by US commandos in Pakistan 45 days ago.
Zawahri's whereabouts are unknown, although he has long been thought to be hiding along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The United States is offering a US$25 million reward for any information leading to his capture or conviction.
In Washington, a senior US official said Zawahri would have a hard time leading the Islamist group "while focusing on his own survival."
"He hasn't demonstrated strong leadership or organizational skills during his time in AQ," the official said. "Unlike many of AQ's top members, Zawahiri has not had actual combat experience, instead opting to be an armchair general with a 'soft' image."
Sajjan Gohel of Asia-Pacific Foundation security consultants said Zawahri had been in practical charge of al-Qaida for many years, but lacked bin Laden's presence and his "ability to unite the different Arab factions within the group."
Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East expert at the London School of Economics, said al-Qaida's militants in south Asia were "on the run," its leaders were deep in hiding, and a new leader would do little to help it reverse their fortunes. Believed to be in his late 50s, Zawahri met bin Laden in the mid-1980s when both were fighting the Soviets.
Bin Laden's lieutenant and the brains behind much of al-Qaida's strategy, Zawahri vowed this month to press ahead with al-Qaida's campaign against the United States and its allies.
"The general leadership of al-Qaida group, after the completion of consultation, announces that Sheikh Dr Ayman Zawahri, may God give him success, has assumed responsibility for command of the group," the Islamist website Ansar al-Mujahideen (Followers of the Holy Warriors) said.
The bespectacled Zawahri had been seen as bin Laden's most likely successor after the man held responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington was shot dead by US commandos in Pakistan 45 days ago.
Zawahri's whereabouts are unknown, although he has long been thought to be hiding along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The United States is offering a US$25 million reward for any information leading to his capture or conviction.
In Washington, a senior US official said Zawahri would have a hard time leading the Islamist group "while focusing on his own survival."
"He hasn't demonstrated strong leadership or organizational skills during his time in AQ," the official said. "Unlike many of AQ's top members, Zawahiri has not had actual combat experience, instead opting to be an armchair general with a 'soft' image."
Sajjan Gohel of Asia-Pacific Foundation security consultants said Zawahri had been in practical charge of al-Qaida for many years, but lacked bin Laden's presence and his "ability to unite the different Arab factions within the group."
Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East expert at the London School of Economics, said al-Qaida's militants in south Asia were "on the run," its leaders were deep in hiding, and a new leader would do little to help it reverse their fortunes. Believed to be in his late 50s, Zawahri met bin Laden in the mid-1980s when both were fighting the Soviets.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
