Al Qaeda's new leader Sayf al-Adl wanted for $10 million

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Sayf Al-Adl, who is docked in Iran, is the de facto leader following the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the former leader of al-Qaeda, in a drone attack last August. Although there have been rumors about al-Adl taking up the position for months, al-Qaeda has not yet issued a public declaration with regard to its leadership.

Former Egyptian army colonel Sayf al-Adl has been associated with al-Qaeda since the 1980s. At the terror group's al-Faruq training camp, he has been primarily in charge of mentoring fresh recruits from the organization.

His profile is noteworthy because he is credited with having taught several of the hijackers who took part in the 9/11 World Trade Center terror attack. In addition, he was in charge of Osama bin Laden's safety, so Al-Adl is close to bin Laden’s trustee.

Moreover, many U.N. member states "took the conclusion that Sayf Al-Adl is already functioning as the de facto and unchallenged leader of the group during conversations in November and December." as published from an article by the Washington Post.

Since Al-Qaeda has not released a statement yet, there are a number of explanations for why it has not openly acknowledged Sayf Al Adl’s leadership. One of the primaries is that Al-Zawahiri's presence in Kabul during his leadership, according to the UN report, caused the Taliban "embarrassment," particularly as it attempted to establish its own credibility.

Sayf Al-Adl's presence in Iran, according to several member nations, also raises challenging "theological and operational concerns for Al-Qaida." Although the study is still ongoing, Sayf Al-Adl’s leadership tactic may not be as effective compared to previous leaders and may result in al-Qaida having more factions. Analysts in the intelligence community claim that Al-Adl prepared assaults from the shadows while he assisted in making al Qaeda the deadliest extremist organization in the world, in contrast to his assassinated predecessors, who kept a high profile with ferocious movies broadcast around the world threatening the United States.

A U.S. federal grand jury condemned and charged Adel in November 1998 for his involvement in the bombings of the American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which resulted in the deaths of 224 people and the injuries of over 5,000 others.

According to experts, Adel, one of the very few remnants of al Qaeda's old guard, has had a long-standing relationship with the central command. He would also be responsible for offering strategic direction to far-flung franchises in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia that manage their own day-to-day operations.

Yet, some doubt Adel's ability to run the organization effectively given that the majority of his career has been spent as a militant operator and trainer.

In today’s day and age, the threat posed by ISIS and al-Qaeda in combat zones and their surrounding territories is still very substantial. Their presence isn't as widespread in other places, though they still pose a threat to global security.

Although it is early to conclude, Al Qaeda may have failed to inflict massive operations in the 21st century, but they have been more successful in pursuing operations targeting regional and local foes. This tells the community that they may still continue to have aspirations to attack the Americans and other Western objectives, but a strong, fierceless, and tactical leader will be needed for that which Al’Adl may or may not have possessed.

References

A Survey of the 2023 Terrorism Threat Landscape. (n.d.). The Washington Institute. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/survey-2023-terrorism-threat-landscape

Georgy, M. (2023, February 16). NEWSMAKER Al Qaeda’s new leader Adel has a $10 million bounty on his head. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/al-qaedas-new-leader-adel-has-10-million-bounty-his-head-2023-02-15/

Lederer, E. M. (2023, February 14). Iran-based trainer of 9/11 hijackers Sayf al-‘Adl believed to be new al-Qaeda chief. Times of Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-based-trainer-of-9-11-hijackers-sayf-al-adl-believed-to-be-new-al-qaeda-chief/

Singh, S. V. (2023, February 14). Sayf al-Adl who trained some of the 9/11 hijackers now de-facto leader of al-Qaeda, confirms UN. ThePrint. https://theprint.in/world/sayf-al-adl-who-trained-some-of-the-9-11-hijackers-now-de-facto-leader-of-al-qaeda-confirms-un/1370516/

UN report: Sayf al-’Adl widely seen as new al-Qaida leader. (2023, February 14). AP NEWS. https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-group-al-qaida-ayman-zawahri-politics-organized-crime-6ad9fe3f8e79064657b6e72b123ba8d7