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Sunday, 11/22/2020 14:20 PM (GMT + 7)
The supreme leader of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is believed to have died of problems related to shortness of breath.
Zawahiri (right) in the photo taken with terrorist chief Osama bin Laden.
Security sources in Pakistan and Afghanistan revealed in Arab News that Zawahari had died of asthma that made him short of breath.
The last time Zawahiri, 69, sent a public message to his supporters was on the occasion of the 9/11 terrorist anniversary. Zawahiri was a “deputy general” under Osama bin Laden, officially becoming the high-ranking leader of Al-Qaeda after bin Laden was destroyed in 2011.
Under Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda no longer flaunts its influence as it once was, surpassed by other jihadist groups like IS.
“He died of asthma, due to lack of treatment,” said the anonymous source, who served as an interpreter for Al-Qaeda and still maintains a close relationship with the organization.
“We confirmed that he died of a natural cause,” said a Pakistani security official, who worked near the Afghan border.
Another source said that Zawahiri had been dead for a month in Afghanistan. “What we do know is that he had difficulty breathing and died somewhere in Afghanistan,” the source added.
Western officials have yet to confirm Zawahiri’s death. Rita Katz, director of the intelligence organization SITE that monitors the activities of jihadist groups, said the information was “well founded.”
“The intelligence agencies believe that Zawahari has been very weak,” said Barak Mendelsohn, a professor at the University of Haverford, who has published numerous books on Al-Qaeda and radical Islamism. “It is sooner or later when he dies.”
Al-Qaeda has not officially released information about the death of the supreme leader. Zawahiri’s death is considered one of the most devastating blows to the organization.
Last week, Israel announced that its services had destroyed an Al-Qaeda deputy leader in Iran. The assassination took place on July 7, on the 12th anniversary of the bombing of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.
Last year, the United States announced the destruction of Hamza, bin Laden’s son, who is considered a good candidate to inherit the organization. It is not clear who will become the leader of Al-Qaeda.
Mendelsohn said the world’s most notorious terrorist organization could return to a local scale, in which tribal chiefs, branch leaders in Somalia, Egypt or Yemen would have autonomy.
Source: http://danviet.vn/thu-linh-toi-cao-to-chuc-khung-bo-al-qeada-da-chet-502020221114182289.htm
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