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Sayf al-Adl who trained some of the 9/11 hijackers now de-facto leader of al-Qaeda, confirms UN

Though no formal announcement was made, according to UN report, Iran-based al-Adl is de-facto leader, after a drone strike killed al-Qaeda’s former head Ayman al-Zawahiri last August.

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New Delhi: After a drone strike killed Al-Qaeda’s former head Ayman al-Zawahiri last August, Iran-based Sayf al-Adl (also spelt as Saif al-Adel) is now the de-facto leader of al-Qaeda, a United Nations sanctions monitoring report has confirmed. While al-Adl’s succession to the post has been speculated for months, no formal announcement has been made by al-Qaeda yet.

Sayf al-Adl is a former colonel of the Egyptian army, and his association with the al-Qaeda dates back to the 1980s. His primary responsibility in the terror outfit has been training recruits  at their al-Faruq training camp.

Significantly, he is credited with having trained some of the hijackers who were part of the 9/11 terror strike on the World Trade Centre. He was also responsible for Osama Bin Laden’s security.

Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguard, Nasser al-Bahri, has described Sayf al-Adl as the leader, “least affected by the deaths of innocent civilians” in his book, Guarding bin Laden: My Life in Al-Qaeda.

According to the UN report published Monday, “his (al-Adl’s) leadership cannot be declared because of Al Qaida’s sensitivity to Afghan Taliban concerns not to acknowledge the death of Aiman Muhammed Rabi al-Zawahiri in Kabul and the fact of Sayf al-Adl’s presence in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” added the report.

This is the thirty-first report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the United Nations. Information that was received until 19th December has been used to reach the findings, the report stated.


Also read: Taliban won’t give up al-Qaeda, not after US killing al-Zawahiri. Kabul’s a safe haven


Why al-Qaeda not declaring Sayf-al-Adl’s leadership

According to the UN report, “in discussions, in November and December many U.N. member states took the view that Sayf al-Adl is already operating as the de facto and uncontested leader of the group”.

Quite a few reasons explain why al-Qaeda has not formally declared its leadership. According to the UN report, al-Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul was an “embarrassment” for the Taliban, especially as it works to build its own legitimacy.

Further, some member states feel his presence in Iran poses complicated “theological and operational questions for Al-Qaida”, the report added.

ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to pose a major threat in conflict areas and their adjoining regions. However, their presence is limited in other areas.

“Africa has emerged in recent years as the continent where the harm done by terrorism is developing most rapidly and extensively. Two of the three most dynamic ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) affiliates are in Africa, and the continent has seen the greatest growth in ISIL affiliates, with several groups expanding their radius of influence often across national borders,” the report added.

(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)


Also read: ‘Will tie explosives to our kids’ — Al Qaeda warns India of suicide attacks over Prophet remarks


 

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