Iran Denies Al-Qaeda Presence in its Territories, Sends Message to Washington
Meanwhile, a UN report and a US report confirmed the presence of the new leader of Al-Qaeda, Saif Al-Adel, in Iran. The US denied his presence and sent a message to the administration of US President Joe Biden regarding this.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian wrote in a tweet on his official Twitter account that he “advises White House officials to stop the failed Iran phobia game, make fun of the Al-Qaeda leader’s news and link it to Iran.”
“The founders of al-Qaeda and ISIS are responsible for the growth of terrorism in the world,” Abdollahian said, adding that Washington’s talk about Saif al-Adel’s presence in Iran is “giving the wrong address.”
Iran’s United Nations Office in New York said it “rejects US State Department spokesman Ned Price’s allegation that the al-Qaeda leader is in Iran,” adding that “the dissemination of such false information impedes efforts to combat terrorism.”
The United States said Wednesday that its assessment is consistent with a United Nations report that al-Qaeda’s new leader, Saif al-Adel, is in Iran.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters about Saif al-Adel’s presence in Iran: “…providing a safe haven for al-Qaeda is another example of Iran’s extensive support for terrorism and destabilizing activities in the Middle East.”
UN experts published a report on Monday saying that there is a prevailing view among UN member states that after the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s former leader, the leadership of al-Qaeda in Iraq has now been handed over to Saif al-Adel while he was in Iran.
The US government announced in August 2022 that al-Zawahiri had been killed in a US drone strike in Kabul. The Taliban confirmed the attack, but said there was no evidence that al-Qaeda’s leader in Kabul had been killed.
So far, al-Qaeda has not made any announcement regarding Saif al-Adel’s replacement of Ayman al-Zawahiri. Assessments differ as to why al-Adel’s leadership has not been announced.
Some countries feel that al-Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul embarrassed the Taliban who sought international legitimacy. Al-Qaeda also “preferred not to escalate the issue by not confirming [al-Zawahiri’s] death.”
“However, the key factor is the continued presence of Saif al-Adel in Iran, which has created critical and difficult operational issues for al-Qaeda, according to experts from most UN member states.”
Who is Saif al-Adel ?
Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian national, has been on the UN blacklist since January 2001 under the name Mohammed Salahaldin Abd El Halim Zidan.
After Mohammed Atef, a top aide to Osama bin Laden, the former al-Qaeda leader, was killed in a US attack in November 2001, the UN described Saif al-Adel as al-Qaeda’s military leader.
According to the UN report, in addition to being the former leader bin Laden’s security chief, Saif al-Adel also taught extremists within the network how to use explosives. He also trained a number of hijackers who took part in the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Saif al-Adel also trained Somali fighters who killed 18 US soldiers in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993, the UN said.
Saif al-Adel is wanted by the United States in connection with the August 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
According to Ali Soufan, a former FBI counterterrorism investigator, Saif al-Adel had been in Iran since 2002 or 2003 and was initially under house arrest, but was free enough to travel to Pakistan afterward.
“He is one of the most experienced professionals in the jihadist movement in the world, and his body is full of battle wounds,” Soufan wrote in a 2021 article in the Center for Counterterrorism magazine.
