Zawahiri’s unconfirmed death raises speculation about next al-Qaeda leader

Amira al-Sharif

Al-Qaeda will most likely not announce the death of its leader Ayman al-Zawahiri for months to come, amid reports about Zawahiri’s passing away.

The terrorist organization was full of internal confusion in the past months, against the background of deterioration in the health condition of its leader.

Rita Katz, the co-founder of Site Intelligence Group, broke news of Zawahiri’s death after months of illness.

She said on Twitter that al-Qaeda had not confirmed news of al-Zawahiri’s death. Katz noted that the terrorist organization confirms the death of its top commanders, only months after their actual death.

She said al-Qaeda had never confirmed the death of Hamza bin Laden, even as U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper broke news of Hamza’s death in August 2019.

When al-Qaeda’s commander Azzam the American died in 2015, the organization kept news of his death secret for five months.

Observers expected earlier Zawahiri’s death to contribute to the gradual collapse of al-Qaeda. They said this death would open the door for conflicts between the different branches of al-Qaeda.

The lack of a central command in al-Qaeda will also contribute to the organization’s collapse, the observers said.

Zawahiri’s death also opened the door for speculation about his possible successor. According to some leaked documents, the members of al-Qaeda’s Consultative Council had pledge allegiance to Abul Nasr.

However, this is causing tensions inside the organization now because of news that Seif al-Adl, another top commander of al-Qaeda, prepares to take over.