Al-Qaeda Names its New Leader
Ayman al-Zawahiri, new Al-Qaeda leader. (AFP/Getty Images) A longtime deputy of Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is going to take over the leadership of al-Qaeda, according to media reports on Thursday.
A statement was posted to several jihadist websites, announcing the decision to appoint a new leader. He was already regarded as the de facto leader after bin Laden was killed in the U.S. raid on his fortified compound in early May.
Hereby the General Command of the Qaeda al-Jihadand after the end of the consultationswe declare that Sheikh Dr. Abu Muhammad Ayman al-Zawahiri (may God bless him) will take over the responsibility of command of the group, the statement reads, according to CNN.
The group stated that it would continue onward with its mission against Israel and the U.S. and will do so until all the invading armies leave the land of Islam, according to the website Politico.
The whereabouts of Zawahiri are unknown but intelligence officials believe that he is currently living near the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A U.S. counterterrorism official told CNN that it was surprising it took a couple of days for al-Qaeda to acknowledge bin Laden's death and this long to say Zawahiri is the new leader.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that it is not a surprise that Zawahiri took that position, reported AFP.
"He and his organization are still threatening us, and as we did both seek to capture and killand succeed in killingbin Laden, we certainly will do the same thing with Zawahiri," he added.
In the past, U.S. officials have said that Zawahiri is a less charismatic and less popular figure in al-Qaeda and may have a difficult time unifying militants under his leadership.
A statement was posted to several jihadist websites, announcing the decision to appoint a new leader. He was already regarded as the de facto leader after bin Laden was killed in the U.S. raid on his fortified compound in early May.
Hereby the General Command of the Qaeda al-Jihadand after the end of the consultationswe declare that Sheikh Dr. Abu Muhammad Ayman al-Zawahiri (may God bless him) will take over the responsibility of command of the group, the statement reads, according to CNN.
The group stated that it would continue onward with its mission against Israel and the U.S. and will do so until all the invading armies leave the land of Islam, according to the website Politico.
The whereabouts of Zawahiri are unknown but intelligence officials believe that he is currently living near the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A U.S. counterterrorism official told CNN that it was surprising it took a couple of days for al-Qaeda to acknowledge bin Laden's death and this long to say Zawahiri is the new leader.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that it is not a surprise that Zawahiri took that position, reported AFP.
"He and his organization are still threatening us, and as we did both seek to capture and killand succeed in killingbin Laden, we certainly will do the same thing with Zawahiri," he added.
In the past, U.S. officials have said that Zawahiri is a less charismatic and less popular figure in al-Qaeda and may have a difficult time unifying militants under his leadership.
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