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| Terror Networks |
| Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi chosen to succeed Abu Faraj al-Libi |
| 2006-05-27 |
| The al-Qaeda organization has selected Abdulhadi al-Iraqi, an Iraqi national from northern Iraq, as the new commander of its global operations. The appointment comes following the seizure of Abu Faraj al-Libi by Pakistani forces in May. The new Iraqi-born al-Qaeda leader is married and with children and is believed to be in his forties. His wife is said to accompany him during his travels across the country. Al-Qaeda has a large following in Iraq particularly among Sunni Muslims. It operates through different organizations under various nomenclatures. But it first surfaced among Iraqi Kurds in the north where it operated from the inaccessible mountains east of Sulaimaniya and close to the borders with Iran. Known then as Ansar al-Islam, the militant group had destabilized most of the Kurdish north and was planning to control Sulaimaniya, the second largest Kurdish city. Fearing the onslaught, Kurdish leaders sought military assistance from their tormentor former leader Saddam Hussein who was reported to have supplied them with arms and men to contain the group. But the Ansar group expanded operations across Iraq following Saddam HusseinÂ’s downfall and the occupation of Iraq by U.S. troops. The group has changed its name into Ansar al-Sunna and is currently, with other rebel groups, spearheading anti-U.S. operations in the country and the campaign of bombings directed against government troops and installations. Sources, speaking to Azzaman on condition of anonymity, said Ansar al-Sunna currently has many followers among Iranian Sunnis and is mainly based in central and northern parts of the country. The group includes mainly Sunni Muslims and is a mixture of Arabs, Kurds and Turks. Ansar Al-Sunna is currently led by Wariya Arbili, a Kurd, who is reported to be in good relations with other anti-U.S. groups but has been trying to distance himself from the Majlis Shura al-Mujahiddeen, a group purportedly headed by Abu Musaab al-Zarqawi. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |