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Al-Zarqawi's Rival New Pointman For Al-Qaeda
 Baghdad, 8 June (AKI) - Following the death of al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed in an US air raid near Baquba on Wednesday, Wariya Arbili takes over the mantle of the 'oldest' al-Qaeda militant in the country, according to specialist intelligence website Debka. Arbili heads the second militant group linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq, Ansar al-Sunna. The organisation controls various areas of the country, and in particular a large part of Kurdistan. Its strongholds are in Kirkuk, Mosul, Tel Afar and the so-called 'Sunni triangle' - northwest of Baghdad which is inhabited mainly by Sunni Muslim Arabs.According to anti-terrorism forces, the rivalry between al-Zarqawi and Arbili had recently persuaded Osama Bin Laden to appoint a new world operations' leader with authority over both al-Zarqawi and Arbili. Bin Laden appointed to this key post an Iraqi al-Qaeda's militant, Abdulhadi al-Iraqi, who replaced Abu Farj al-Libi, arrested by the Pakistani police, anti-terrorism sources said. Abdulhadi's absolute priority is to bring order between the two rival groups and to avoid a bloody clash for the leadership. Posted by: Steve 2006-06-08 |
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