Al-Qaeda's confirmation of al-Masri's death shows no terrorist leader is safe

KABUL -- Al-Qaeda's recent confirmation of the death in 2020 of its No. 2 leader, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah ("Abu Muhammad al-Masri"), shows his replacements are not capable of running the terror group, military analysts said.

In an August 1 statement on the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) finally listed al-Masri among its senior members who have been killed.

As Ayman al-Zawahiri's deputy, al-Masri reputedly masterminded al-Qaeda's terrorist operations. He was killed in Tehran in 2020, and the Iranian regime and al-Qaeda had both concealed his death -- until now.

Al-Qaeda's core leadership has been dismantled by US and allied operations over the past several years, and its new leaders lack the capacity to replace them, military analysts said.

Al-Zawahiri was killed in a US air strike in Kabul in 2022.

Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan in 2011.

"Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up during a US raid on his hideout in Syria in 2019, and two of his successors met the same fate during raids by the United States and its allies.

Targeting the leaders of al-Qaeda and ISIS demonstrates the global commitment to eradicating terror groups, while the growing list of high-profile killings makes it clear their leaders are not safe anywhere, military analysts said.

'Hiding in the shadows'

With the killing of key al-Qaeda and ISIS leaders, the capabilities of these groups have been significantly reduced, Italy-based Afghan military analyst Mohammad Naim Ghayur told Salaam Times.

"The military pressure from the United States has forced the leaders of al-Qaeda and ISIS to hide in the shadows and live in fear," he said. "No one dares to openly assume leadership of these terrorist groups."

"To eradicate terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda, their leaders first must be eliminated," he added. "Then their sources of income should be cut off, and military pressure on them should be increased."

"Compared to two decades ago, al-Qaeda does not have strong leadership," Nimroz-based military analyst Hamza Baloch told Salaam Times.

"While Afghanistan has once again become a safe haven for al-Qaeda, it will take years for the terrorist network to stand on its feet again because of weak leadership," he said.

Individuals who have verifiable and valuable information on terror group leaders and operations can submit tips to the USCENTCOM Department of Defense Rewards Program for potential cash rewards.

Since its inception, the program has paid more than $23.4 million in rewards.