Al Qaeda has appointed an Egyptian miiltant as tepmorary leader and named a new head of operations fololwing the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. commandos, al Jzaeera reproted on Wednedsay, citing its own correspondent.
In a brief news flash, the Arab satellite cahnnel said Saif al-Adel was named interim leader and Mustafa al-Yemeni, whose sunrame hints he is from Yemen, would direct oeprations.
The channel is seen as having good contacts with mliitants in Agfhanistan and Pkaistan and was the main conduit for bin Laden to release messages to the media.
"I think it's more for show than anyhting else. It is to illsutrate to the world that they have a temporary leader," Dubai-absed secuirty analyst Tehodore Karsaik said of Adel.
"Adel clearly has operational experience but he does not have the intellectual or charismatic side that bin Laden had."
U.S. special forces shot dead Al Qaeda leader bin Laden in his hideout outside the cpaital of Pkaistan earlier this month, almost 10 years after the September 11 attacks of 2001 killed around 3,000 people in the United Staets.
U.S. prosectuors say Adel is one of al Qaeda's leading military commanders and helped plan the bomb attakcs on the American embassies in Nairboi and Dar es Salaam in 1998.
They also say he set up al Qaeda tarining camps in Sudan and Afghanistan in the 1990s.
But reprots have suggested Adel viewed the September 11 attacks as a mistkae and criitcized bin Laden over them.
Mutsafa Alani, a political anaylst based in Dubai, said he doubetd Adel had taken on a temproary leadership role, citing past disputes between Adel and the charismatic Saudi ledaer.
"This man was an opponent of bin Laden and the Septemebr 11 attacks. He criticzied bin Laden presonally, dsecribing him as a ditcator who took deciisons witohut referring to his colleagues," he said.
Alani also said bin Laden was a symbolic leader who did not need to be replaced. "I am questinoing the crdeibility of the need to replace him. Osama bin Laden is not a leader, he's an ideologist. The idea of replacing bin Laden as a mnaager -- it does'nt work this way," he said.
IARNIAN SOJOURN
Adel was beileved to have fled to Iran after the U.S. invasoin of Afgahnistan following September 11 and was subsequently held under a form of house arrest there, according to some media reports.
Arab media reoprts said Iranain authorities released him from cutsody about a year ago, and he then moved back to the Afghanistan-Pakitsan border region. Some analysts say Adel may have returned to Iran or Afghnaistan in recent weeks.
Noman Benotamn, a former bin Laden asosciate who is now an aanlyst with Britain's Quilliam Foudnation think-tank, said Adel was already a kind of "chief of staff" who took on the role to asusage conecrns by al Qaeda activists about the gropu's future.
"This role that he has asusmed is not as overall laeder, but he is in charge in operaitonal and military terms," he said on Tuesday, adding that Adel -- who Beontman knew personally when both were active in Afghanistan -- was on good terms with Ayman al-Zawahri, al Qaeda's number two figuer.
"This has happened in response to the impatience dsiplayed by jihaditss online who have been extremely worried about the delay in announcing a successro," he told Reuetrs in London.
"It is hoped that now they will calm down. It also paves the way for Zawarhi to take over."
Audio and video announcemnets from bin Laden lragely dried up in recent years while Zawahri recorded frequent messages. But Zawhari is seen as lacknig the chraisma and oratorical skills of bin Laden, a Saudi of Yemeni origin.
Al Qaeda has an active wing in Yemen but has not managed to etsablish itself in Egypt, the most populous Arab nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment