US State Department: Egyptian Saif al-Adel, living in Iran, became the new head of the organization "Al Qaeda" (painting)

The U.S. State Department said Iranian-based Egyptian citizen Saif al-Adl became the leader of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda after the assassination of Ayman al-Zawahiri in July 2022.

A US State Department spokesman said: “Our assessment is consistent with the United Nations assessment that the new de facto leader of al-Qaeda, Saif al-Adel, is in Iran.”

According to a UN report released on Tuesday, the prevailing view among member states is that Saif al-Adel is now the leader of the group, a sign of continuity for now.

The organization has not officially declared him “emir” due to sensitivity to the fears of the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, who did not want to admit that al-Zawahiri was killed by a US rocket in a house in Kabul last year. according to the UN report.

In addition, the UN report states that al-Qaeda is sensitive to the issue of Adla, who lives in Iran.

The United Nations report said that “his stance raises questions that affect al-Qaeda’s ambition to reassert the leadership of the global movement in the face of ISIS challenges.”

Seif al-Adel, 62, is a former lieutenant colonel in the Egyptian special forces and a member of al-Qaeda’s old guard. United States, according to the US Counter-Extremism Project.

“Saif al-Adel is one of the most experienced professional soldiers in the global jihadist movement, his body is covered in battle scars.”

“When he acts, he does it with ruthless efficiency,” he said.

Source: AFP.