After Al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike, the terror group faces a vacuum in leadership. Zawahiri had taken over after Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.
One name stands out as to who might take over after Zawahiri-- Saif al-Adel. Adel, who is likely to succeed Zawahiri, is a veteran field expert who spearheaded infamous attacks, including the bombings in the US embassy in Kenya (1998).
It is assessed that, unlike Zawahiri, Saif al-Adel may organise more field campaigns for al-Qaeda to remain relevant and also to counter the attrition of its members to the Islamic State, they said.
Adel enjoys revered status within Al-Qaeda. He has experience, and the potential of his charisma to draw back al-Qaida defectors who've moved to other groups.
Adel is a former Egyptian army officer and is one of the founding members of Al-Qaeda. He had joined the precursor group Maktab al-Khidmat in the 1980s. He met bin Laden and Zawahiri during this period and joined their group Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ). He fought Russian forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Adel remains on the FBI's most wanted list and the US forces have been looking for him since 1993. he was Osama bin Laden's security chief and he oversaw the infamous 1993 incident-- the ambush of US forces and helicopters in Mogadishu, Somalia, in which 18 Americans died. Reportedly, Adel has emerged as an important strategist since bin Laden's death.
