Recent Appearances...

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Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Saif al Adel	Saif al Adel	al-Qaeda	India-Pakistan	Egyptian	At Large	Big Shot	20030302
		Al-Qaeda chief of operations. Rumored arrested 2003-03-02.
Saif al-Adel	Saif al-Adel	al-Qaeda	Axis of Evil		Arrested		20031014
	Saif al-Adel	Al Qaeda	Terror Networks				20020616
	Saif al-Adel	al-Qaeda in Iraq	Iraq-Jordan				20040211
	Saif al-Adel	Egyptian Islamic Jihad	Terror Networks				20030519
	Saif al-Adel	al-Qaeda	Iran	Egyptian	At Large		20030830
		al-Qaida security chief wanted in connection with the deadly 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa.
	Saif al-Adel	Iranian Revolutionary Guard	Syria-Lebanon-Iran				20060802	Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Al-Qaeda adviser (!!!) calls for Hamas to free hostages, says attention overshadowing fate of Palestinian prisoners

2024-10-19

I am speechless.

[IsraelTimes] An adviser to al-Qaeda’s likely current leader is calling for Hamas
Hamas

..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
to release its Israeli hostages held in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
, according to an American jihadist monitoring organization, SITE.

The online declaration was made yesterday by Mustafa Hamid, also known as Abu Walid al-Masri, who is the father-in-law of Saif al-Adel
...holed up in Iran from 2002 until 2010, when he made bail and moved back to the Pak-Afghan border...
, the man widely believed to now head al-Qaeda, according to SITE.

In it, Hamid claims the attention given to recovering the Israeli hostages held by Hamas since October 7, 2023, both dead and alive, is overshadowing the fate of Paleostinian security prisoners being held by Israel.

He also hails Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the criminal mastermind of the massacre that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, who was killed by Israel this week.

Hamas must now "immediately" return the hostages and their bodies, and "this file must be closed and not opened again, as we know its consequences," according to the statement.

Indeed.

"No one cares about the Paleostinian prisoners, neither in the media, in negotiations, nor in demonstrations," it adds.

Insightful. That’s probably how he got his daughter married off to that man.

Several experts consulted by AFP say Hamid is close to higher-ups in the core al-Qaeda organization.

The group, which has spawned regional affiliates in Syria, Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
, Somalia and Mali, has little leverage over Hamas, which is backed by Iran.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

IDF dropping leaflets in Khan Yunis, Gaza:

"Yahya Sinwar has ruined your lives. He hid in a dark tunnel and was eliminated when he attempted to flee in panic. Lay down your weapons, return the hostages, and live in peace.” pic.twitter.com/BPkYDfiXNK
— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) October 19, 2024

Link

Afghanistan

RUMINT: Hamza, son of Osama bin Laden, alive and preparing attacks on the West

2024-09-15

[KhaamaPress] According to new intelligence reports, the late Osama bin Laden
...... who is no longer with us, and won't be again......
’s son, who was reported to have been killed in 2019, is alive and is allegedly taking control of al-Qaeda while planning attacks against Western targets.

The Daily Mail, citing defense experts, reported that Hamza bin Laden is alive and secretly leading the terrorist organization. According to the reports, his brother Abdullah is also connected to the group. al-Qaeda is reportedly regrouping and preparing for future attacks on the West.

In September 2019, former U.S. President Donald Trump
...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party...
confirmed that Hamza bin Laden had been killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in an area between Afghanistan and Pakistain.

However,
a lie repeated often enough remains a lie...
on Thursday, the Mirror reported, based on intelligence analysis, that Hamza bin Laden survived the U.S. attempts to kill him.

Colonel Richard Kemp, the former head of British forces, has warned that Hamza is using Afghanistan’s territory, where "he seems to have a wide and open field for activity" and "intends to avenge his father’s death and achieve victory."

It is noteworthy that Osama bin Laden, the criminal mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, was later killed in a 2011 operation in Abbottabad
... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden....
, Pakistain.

The report suggests that Hamza, along with his brother Abdullah bin Laden, is secretly leading and reviving al-Qaeda.

Under Hamza bin Laden’s leadership, al-Qaeda has reportedly established around 10 training camps in Afghanistan and has built ties with other anti-Western terrorist groups.

This bit matches other reports we’ve seen.

The report states that Hamza bin Laden, 34, spends most of his time at a terrorist base in Jalalabad, Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
Province. The report claims that the Taliban
Taliban

...mindless ferocity in a turban...
leaders are reportedly aware of Hamza bin Laden’s efforts to revive al-Qaeda and regularly meet with him.

Yet, the Taliban has not issued any comment regarding the report.

Despite the assumption that Saif al-Adel
...holed up in Iran from 2002 until 2010, when he made bail and moved back to the Pak-Afghan border...
now leads al-Qaeda after Ayman al-Zawahiri
...Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area assuming he's not dead like Mullah Omar. He lost major face when he ordered the nascent Islamic State to cease and desist and merge with the orthodox al-Qaeda spring, al-Nusra...>
’s death, the Mirror reports that Hamza bin Laden is becoming a prominent figure in the group’s resurgence, aiming to carry on his father’s legacy and planning attacks on Western targets.

The resurgence of al-Qaeda under Hamza bin Laden’s leadership raises concerns about the group’s renewed strength and capacity to orchestrate global terror attacks. The possibility of coordinated efforts with other terrorist organizations, like ISIS, amplifies the threat.

Reports claim that the situation is eerily similar to the conditions that preceded the 9/11 attacks, highlighting the growing threat to global security.

Link

-Obits-

AQAP announces the death of its emir Khalid Batarfi

2024-03-11

[Twitter]

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announces the death of its emir Khalid Batarfi. pic.twitter.com/yvzlcAiWg2
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) March 10, 2024

Le Monde adds:

Batarfi had appointed his successor back in February 2020, following the death of his predecessor, Qassim al-Rimi, in a US dronezap or Yemen.

Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
has announced the death of its leader Khalid Batarfi and named a successor, SITE Intelligence Group reported Sunday, March 10. The monitoring service said Batarfi's body was shown in footage released by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000...
(AQAP) in a burial shroud and wrapped in a flag bearing the jihadist group's name.

"God took his soul while he patiently sought his reward and stood firm, immigrated, garrisoned, and waged jihad," SITE quoted an AQAP veteran as saying of Batarfi in the nearly 15-minute video. There were no immediate details of the time or cause of Batarfi's death. He was believed to be in his 40s.

The United States considers al-Qaeda's Yemen branch the most dangerous faction of the global jihadist network, and the State Department designated Batarfi in 2018 a "global terrorist". SITE said the group had named its new chief Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, who last appeared in a video released in February 2023 urging Sunni rustics to join AQAP.

The Sunni bad boy group thrived in the chaos of years of war since 2014 between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
s. AQAP has carried out operations in Yemen against both the Huthis and government forces.

It has also carried out sporadic attacks abroad, including on the offices of the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo
...Pix/Hebdo2.pngA lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
in 2015 and a 2019 mass shooting at a US naval base in Florida, in which a Saudi Air Force officer killed three American sailors.

Update from the Times of Israel at 2:15 p.m. ET:

Khalid al-Batarfi had a $5 million bounty on his head from the US government over leading the group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula over years that saw him imprisoned, freed in a jailbreak, and governing forces in Yemen amid that country’s grinding war.

Though believed to be weakened in recent years due to infighting and suspected US drone strikes killing its leaders, the group known by the acronym AQAP has long been considered the most dangerous branch of the extremist group still operating after the killing of founder Osama bin Laden.

Al-Qaeda released a video showing al-Batarfi wrapped in a white funeral shroud and al-Qaeda’s black-and-white flag. Terrorists offered no details on the cause of his death and there was no clear sign of trauma visible on his face. Al-Batarfi was believed to be in his early 40s.

In the announcement, the group said Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki would take over as its leader. The US has a $6 million bounty on him, saying al-Awlaki “has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies.”

Why is the new guy worth 20% more than the dead one was?

Estimates provided to the UN put AQAP’s total forces as numbering between 3,000 and 4,000 active fighters and passive members. The group raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops,

…how very tawdry and commonplace…

as well as smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies, and ransom operations, according to the UN.

…smuggling weapons and ransom operations being the usual occupations of Yemeni lads when they’re feeling feisty. Currency counterfeiting is a bit more technical than they usually get up to, but every group contains at least a few eager to learn and better themselves…

Under al-Batarfi, AQAP fell further under the influence of al-Qaeda fighter Saif al-Adel, now believed to lead the terror group after the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri in a US drone strike in Afghanistan in 2022. That came as Yemen has been locked in a war between the Houthi rebels, who hold the capital, Sanaa, and a Saudi-led coalition backing the country’s exiled government based in Aden.

“Since 2020, Saif al-Adel has been able to convince al-Batarfi of his strategic approach, focused on confronting Western states and their allies in Yemen — the Saudi-led coalition, the Aden-based government, the United Arab Emirates and its allies — rather than confronting the Iranian-backed Houthi movement,” a 2023 report by the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies said.

Al-Adel is believed to be in Iran, part of a longtime al-Qaeda presence in the Islamic Republic. That’s long been denied by Tehran but backed up by documents seized in the 2011 US raid in Pakistan that killed bin Laden, who orchestrated the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.

Good to know.

Al-Batarfi’s ties to al-Adel had strained relations in AQAP, experts say. However, it has seen the terrorists become armed with bomb-carrying drones — something the Houthis now use to target shipping in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Very interesting — a hint that not only is Iran sheltering Al Qaeda’s top leaders, but supplying at least one of its key franchises as well.

AQAP “developed unmanned aerial systems capabilities, establishing a specialized drone unit, with operational training from the Houthis,” a UN report from January says.

That goes well beyond hinting. And the Houthis would only help their enemy on direct orders from Tehran.

“It prioritizes liberating its prisoners to replenish ranks; in September, the Houthis released several AQAP members and explosives experts.”

The Shiite Zaydi Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, a Sunni extremist group. However, AQAP targeting of the Houthis has dropped in recent years while the terrorists continue to attack Saudi-led coalition forces.

Me and my brother against my cousin. Me and my cousin against the outside world.

Yemen’s history and tribal structure long has seen alliances rapidly shift, something its late strongman President Ali Abdullah Saleh referred to as “dancing on the heads of snakes.”

Al-Batarfi, born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, traveled to Afghanistan in 1999 and fought alongside the Taliban during the US-led invasion. He joined AQAP in 2010 and led forces in taking over Yemen’s Abyan province, according to the US.

In 2015, he was freed after an AQAP raid that saw the terrorists capture Mukalla, the capital of Yemen’s largest province, Hadramawt, amid the chaos of the war. A photo at the time showed al-Awlaki with a Kalashnikov rifle, posing inside a government palace there.

AQAP was later pushed out of Mukalla but has continued attacks and been the target of a US drone strike campaign since the administration of then-president George W. Bush.

In 2020, there had been claims that al-Bartafi had been detained, which later were denied. In 2021, he appeared in a video by the terror group and referred to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol as “only the tip of the iceberg of what will come to them, God willing.”

Link

Terror Networks

Al Qaeda's new 'Sword of Justice' leader: 'Ruthless' ex-Egyptian special forces officer who trained 9/11 hijackers has taken over as terror group's 'uncontested' boss, says UN

2023-02-17

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] More on Al Q’s new Number One, with the usual photos.

Terror mastermind who named himself 'Sword of Justice' is now al-Qaeda's chief

Saif Al-Adel

...also transliterated as Seif al-Adel and Sayf al-‘Adl, but when he was in trouble his mother called him either Mohammed Salahuddin Zeidan (Mohammed Salah al-Din Zaidan, Mohammed Salahaldin Abd El Halim Zidan per the UN sanctions blacklist) or Mohammed Ibrahim Makkawi (according to the US DoJ), both of whom went by Saif al Adel, but only one of whom is the new Big Turban.../td

is a mainstay of the FBI Most Wanted list, with a $10million info reward

He oversaw notorious 1993 'Black Hawk Down' operation and the 9/11 attacks

Saif is now one of the only original al-Qaeda leaders still alive

Link

Terror Networks

Iran-based trainer of 9/11 hijackers Sayf al-‘Adl believed to be new al-Qaeda chief

2023-02-15

[IsraelTmes] Though successor to Ayman al-Zawahri not officially announced by terror group, most UN member states say commander is its ’uncontested leader’

UN experts say the predominant view among member nations is that the leadership of al-Qaeda has passed to Sayf al-’Adl, who was responsible for the late Osama bin Laden
...... who used to be alive but now he's not......
’s security and trained some of the hijackers involved in the 9/11 attack on the US.

The panel of experts said in a report to the UN Security Council circulated Monday that no announcement has been made of Sayf al-’Adl replacing Ayman al-Zawahri, who was killed by a US dronezap in Kabul last August.

"But in discussions in November and December many UN member states took the view that Sayf al-’Adl is already operating as the de facto and uncontested leader of the group," the report said.

Assessments vary as to why al-’Adl’s leadership hasn’t been declared, it said.

Some countries feel that al-Zawahri’s presence in Kabul embarrassed the country’s Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
rulers who are seeking legitimacy "and that al-Qaeda chose not to exacerbate this by acknowledging the death," the experts said.

"However,
alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk...
most judged a key factor to be the continued presence of Sayf al-’Adl in the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran
Iran

...They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
(which) raised difficult theological and operational questions for al-Qaeda," they said.

While noting that one country rejected claims that any al-Qaeda affiliate is in Iran, the panel said that the location of Sayf al-’Adl’a "raises questions that have a bearing on al-Qaeda’s ambitions to assert leadership of a global movement in the face of challenges" from the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
murderous Moslem group.

Sayf al-’Adl has been listed on the UN sanctions blacklist as Egyptian-born Mohammed Salahaldin Abd El Halim Zidan since January 2001, the panel said. He is described in the UN listing as taking over as military commander of al-Qaeda following the death of Mohammed Atef — one of bin Laden’s top aides — in a US attack in November 2001.

In addition to being bin Laden’s security chief, the UN says, Sayf al-’Adl taught bully boyz to use explosives and trained some of the hijackers involved in the attack in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. It says he also trained Somali fighters who killed 18 US servicemen in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993.

Sayf al-’Adl is wanted by US authorities in connection with the August 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.

According to the report, the threat from al-Qaeda, the Islamic State murderous Moslem group, and their affiliates "remains high in conflict zones and neighboring countries," with Africa emerging in recent years "as the continent where the harm done by terrorism is developing most rapidly and extensively."

The panel said the Islamic State’s leadership has also become a question following the group’s Nov. 30 announcement that Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi had died in a battle the previous month, the group’s second leader to be killed in 2022.

"The new leader was announced as Abu al-Husain al-Husaini al-Qurashi, and his true identity is not yet known," the experts said.

Member states noted numerous pledges of allegiance to Abu al-Husain by Islamic State "affiliates far and wide without specific knowledge of his identity or qualities as a leader," they said.

Wikipedia:

According to the Egyptian authorities, the FBI information on Saif al-Adel confuses the biographies of two members of Al-Qaeda. The first, 'Mohammed Salah al-Din Zaidan', known as Saif al-Adel, an economy graduate, joined Al-Qaeda in 1991, but was never a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. The other individual, 'Mohammed Ibrahim Makkawi', is a former Egyptian Special Forces Colonel and a former member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, who traveled to Afghanistan in 1987 after his release from prison, and later joined Al-Qaeda.

According to the indictment, Adel is a member of the majlis al shura of al-Qaeda and a member of its military committee. He has provided military and intelligence training to members of al-Qaeda and Egyptian Islamic Jihad in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan, and to anti-UN Somali tribes.[5] It is possible that his trainees included the Somalis of the first Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.[6] He established the al-Qaeda training facility at Ras Kamboni in Somalia near the Kenyan border.[7]

Adel was accused of being involved with Egyptian Islamic Jihad and attempting to overthrow the Egyptian government in 1987. After the charges were dismissed, he left the country in 1988 to join the mujahideen in repelling the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.[8] He is believed to have traveled to southern Lebanon along with Abu Talha al-Sudani, Saif al-Islam al-Masri, Abu Ja`far al-Masri, and Abu Salim al-Masri, where he trained alongside Hezbollah Al-Hejaz.[9]

In Khartoum, Sudan, Adel taught recruited militants how to handle explosives.[4] Along with Saeed al-Masri and Mahfouz Ould al-Walid, he is believed to have opposed the September 11 attacks two months prior to their execution.[10]

Many analysts believe that Saif al-Adel will be named as the successor of Ayman al-Zawahiri since he was a loyal aide of Osama bin Laden.[11] However, this is seen as a complicated issue due to his residency in Iran.[12]

Link

Terror Networks

Rare photo surfaces of top Al Qaeda leaders inside Iran

2022-09-03

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Rare photo surfaces of top Al Qaeda leaders inside Iran - https://t.co/O8GOSYoXA9 pic.twitter.com/DKEdvjF0dS
— Long War Journal (@LongWarJournal) September 2, 2022

A recently surfaced photograph of three of Al Qaeda’s top leaders, including Saif al Adel — the man many believe to be the successor to emir Ayman al Zawahiri

...Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area assuming he's not dead like Mullah Omar. He lost major face when he ordered the nascent Islamic State to cease and desist and merge with the orthodox al-Qaeda spring, al-Nusra...
— shows that they were present in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Numerous U.S. government designations have previously outlined the presence of senior Al Qaeda leaders in Iran, but this photo offered rare visual proof.

The photo was originally published by @Sw0rdOfAnon (Anonymous) on Twitter. Two U.S. intelligence officials independently confirmed to FDD’s Long War Journal the authenticity of the photograph, as well as the identities of the three men. The intelligence officials said the photograph was taken in Tehran before 2015.

The photograph shows, from left to right, Saif al Adel, Abu Muhammad al Masri, and Abu Abu al Khayr al Masri.

Typo? We have an Abu al Kheir al Masri in Rantburg’s archives — the former head of al Qaeda's "external relations" committee, considered as a possible successor to the late Osama bin Laden as AQ’s Number One.

The photograph casts significant doubt on the assertions that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp and Ministry of Intelligence kept these and other Al Qaeda leaders under strict house arrest.

Link

Terror Networks

More on Al Qaeda next leader Saif Al-Adel

2022-08-08

Hattip 3dc. Saif al-Adel is also known as Ibrahim al-Madani and Omar al-Sumali. Or possibly not. There is some question whether he is Mohammed Salah al-Din Zaidan the economist or Ibraheeem Makawi the former Egyptian special forces colonel.

[WeeklyBlitz] The man likely to become Al Qaeda’s next top dog is Saif al-Adel
...holed up in Iran from 2002 until 2010, when he made bail and moved back to the Pak-Afghan border...
, a ruthless jihadist who has spent decades using Iran

...They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
as a base of operations and who maintains deep ties to the hardline mullah regime, including Iran’s Lord High Potentate and Supreme Leader of All He Surveys Ali Khamenei

Link

Terror Networks

Ayman al-Zawahiri Ginsu'd: Al Qaeda's Next Leader Has Deep Ties to Iran

2022-08-06

[Free Beacon] The man likely to become al Qaeda's next leader has spent decades using Iran as a base of operations and maintains deep ties to the hardline regime, signaling that two of the globe's leading terrorist forces could exponentially expand relations in the near future.

Saif al-Adel
...holed up in Iran from 2002 until 2010, when he made bail and moved back to the Pak-Afghan border...

...before he was an Al Qaeda big turban, he’d reached the exalted level of special forces lieutenant-colonel in the Egyptian army, then joined the Egyptian jihadist movement in the 1980s. He already rejoices in £7.5 million head money, which will no doubt go up with this promotion...

al Qaeda's number two leader and longtime head of its security arm, fled to Iran in the early 2000s, along with other senior leaders, following the September 11 attacks. From there, he helped relay orders from the just-killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and orchestrate terrorist operations that killed dozens of people, including Americans, according to former U.S. officials and information on the Iran-al Qaeda axis published by a watchdog group.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) protected al-Adel during his time in the country, and the regime permitted him to plan deadly terror attacks, including a May 2003 operation in Saudi Arabia that killed eight Americans. "Adel's suspected presence in Iran has raised further questions regarding Iranian influence on al Qaeda if Adel were to be named leader," according to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), an advocacy group that closely tracks Iran's regional terror operations.

These ties have only deepened since President Joe Biden's bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan that left the Taliban in power and the country in shambles. Senior leaders in Iran's Quds Force, an elite IRGC branch, remain in close contact with al Qaeda leaders, "and since the fall of Afghanistan, have provided some al Qaeda leaders with travel documents and safe haven," according to a European intelligence analysis. The Iran-al Qaeda alliance, former U.S. officials told the Free Beacon, has quietly grown for many years, making the prospect of a new nuclear deal with Iran—which will provide Tehran with billions in cash—beneficial for its allies in al Qaeda.

"When the U.S. government enriches Iranian terrorists through sanctions relief or a lack of enforcement, that money ultimately goes back to support al Qaeda," Gabriel Noronha, a senior Iran adviser for the State Department during the Trump administration, told the Free Beacon. "We know that Saif al-Adel has not just been living in Iran for most of the past 20 years—he's been hosted there by the regime along with other al Qaeda operatives. Since 2015, the Iranian regime has allowed al Qaeda to establish an operational headquarters in the country, providing them with documents, passports, funding, and logistical support like safe houses."

Al-Adel and his network of al Qaeda confidants used their time in Iran to build close "operational coordination" with Tehran's security forces, including the IRGC. While Iran was once at odds with al Qaeda due to religious differences, that has not been the case for many years now, according to Noronha and other former U.S. officials familiar with these ties.

"These are not totally separate and distinct terrorist groups or even rivals anymore—they are part of an anti-American and anti-Western alliance," Noronha said.

From his perch in Iran during the mid-2000s, al-Adel "was allowed by Iran to travel to Pakistan and open more contacts with other al Qaeda leaders," according to UANI's research, which is based on intelligence and open-source reporting. Iran's decision to permit al-Adel and other al Qaeda operatives to freely move in the region "opens up speculation that al-Adel could establish a ’satellite office' for the group in Iran," according to a 2011 AP report.

Nathan Sales, former U.S. ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism, told the Free Beacon that "contrary to expectations and contrary to conventional wisdom, the Iranian regime and al Qaeda have maintained a mutually beneficial relationship for many years."

Link

Terror Networks

Al-Qaeda faces succession quandary after Zawahiri killing

2022-08-03

[AlAhram] The killing of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri
...Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area assuming he's not dead like Mullah Omar. He lost major face when he ordered the nascent Islamic State to cease and desist and merge with the orthodox al-Qaeda spring, al-Nusra...
in a US dronezap will not affect the operations of the terror group's affiliates across the world, but opens the way for a potentially troubled succession process.

Most likely contenders: Saif al-Adel, a former Egyptian special forces lieutenant-colonel and old guard of Al-Qaeda, reported in Iran, and Abu Abd al-Karim al-Masri, part of the leadership of Hurras al-Din in Syria.

The Egyptian jihadist, who the United States says has been killed in a hideout in the Afghan capital Kabul, never even attempted to replicate the charisma and influence of his predecessor the late Osama bin Laden

Link

Terror Networks

Ruthless terror veteran of tipped as new head of al-Qaeda, rebranding the group and possibly fusing with ISIS

2021-02-25

[Twitter-Daily Mirror]

Ruthless terror veteran of tipped as new head of al-Qaeda, rebranding the group and possibly fusing with ISIS @DailyMirror @COLRICHARDKEMP https://t.co/t6PfCA1vqp
— Chris Hughes (@defencechris) February 24, 2021

The 60 year-old Egyptian-born former military general is a “brilliant and ruthless strategist,” and is tipped to take the reins from Ayman Zawahiri.

One senior British terrorism expert told the Daily Mirror: “Compared to Zawahiri he is likely to be a much more effective leader, at least so or more so even than bin Laden.”

Link

Terror Networks

After Israel said to kill al-Qaeda No. 2, questions over terror group’s future

2020-11-18

[IsraelTimes] With unconfirmed rumors swirling over fate of al-Zawahiri
...Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area assuming he's not dead like Mullah Omar. He lost major face when he ordered the nascent Islamic State to cease and desist and merge with the orthodox al-Qaeda spring, al-Nusra...
in wake of Abu Muhammad al-Masri’s killing in Iran, many analysts point to Saif al-Adel
...holed up in Iran from 2002 until 2010, when he made bail and moved back to the Pak-Afghan border...
as next leader.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran’s new propaganda: Claiming to expel al-Qaeda officials

2016-08-08

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iran is attempting to spread news that it is sending some al-Qaeda officials to other countries with the aim of improving how it is perceived in the international media.

Al-Qaeda's ties to Iran have been proven in four instances. The first was last March, when a New York District Court ordered Iran to pay more than $10.5 billion in damages to families of people killed in the 9/11 attacks and to a group of insurers. The second is an Iranian foreign ministry's statement admitting that al-Qaeda officials had passed through Iran. The third is late al-Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden
... who is now beyond all cares and woe...
's documents which prove Iran's absolute support and official cover up for al-Qaeda. The fourth is developments related to arresting the group's officials, such as al-Qaeda front man Sulaiman Abu Ghaith who was detained while holding an Iranian passport.

Iran has had many aims behind harboring al-Qaeda officials such as exploiting the group to perform operations against neighboring countries, such as Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
and other Gulf states, raising negotiation ceilings with Western countries, mainly the United States, and protecting itself from the group’s attacks. Al-Qaeda has not targeted any Iranian site inside or outside Iran. The biggest proof of these aims is Iran's negotiations with the West regarding Saif al-Adel
...holed up in Iran from 2002 until 2010, when he made bail and moved back to the Pak-Afghan border...
and extradition of Abu Hafs al-Mauritani to Mauritania.

Iran's recent act of expelling al-Qaeda officials to other countries only aims to cloud the attention of observers of the situation, as al-Qaeda will not give up on Iran and vice versa. However,
there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly...
Iran's desire to steer clear of rigorous media coverage have expedited Iran’s own media propaganda, so much so that it is sending al-Qaeda officials to other countries in the East and West.

It is Iran that is nurturing al-Qaeda. This is as clear as day.

Link

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