Al-Qaeda yesterday named Egyptian surgeon Ayman al-Zawahiri to succeed slain leader Osama bin Laden and vowed no let-up in its deadly “jihad” against arch-foes the United States and Israel.
The US immediately dismissed the appointment saying Mr Zawahiri, the group’s long-time number two, lacks the leadership skills and credentials of bin Laden, who was killed by US commandos in a May 2 raid in Pakistan.
In a statement posted on an Islamist website, the jihadist network said: “The general command of Al-Qaeda announces, after consultations, the appointment of Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri as head of the group.
Al-Qaeda, it said, would relentlessly pursue its “jihad” (holy war) against the US and Israel and that the fight would continue “until all invading armies leave the land of Islam.” The extremist network affirmed it would not “recognise any legitimacy of the so-called state of Israel.”
“We will not accept or adhere to any agreement or accord that recognises it (Israel) or that robs a mile from Palestine, whether it is the United Nations controlled by top criminals or any other organisation.”
But a US official said Mr Zawahiri lacked leadership skills and may create divisions in within the jihadist network.
“He hasn’t demonstrated strong leadership or organisational skills during his time in AQ or previously while in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad,” the official said, asking to remain anonymous.
“His ascension to the top leadership spot will likely generate criticism if not alienation and dissension with Al-Qaeda,” the official said. In its statement, Al-Qaeda’s general command pledged to “fulfill bin Laden’s oaths and remain under the overall leadership of the ‘Emir of the Believers,’ Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar,” SITE Intelligence Group group reported.
It also voiced its “support (to) the uprisings of our oppressed Muslim people against the corrupt and tyrant leaders who have made our nation suffer in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya Yemen, Syria and Morocco.”
Popular uprisings that have rocked the Middle East and North Africa since December have succeeded in toppling autocrats in Egypt and Tunisia but have struggled to overcome fierce crackdowns in Bahrain, Libya, Syria and Yemen.
The statement ends with a reminder that Islam forbids “oppression, against Muslims and non-Muslims, against friend and foe.”