The learned “experts” tell us Sunnis and Shia would never work together. The truth is in the old adage, “My brother against my brother, but both of us against our cousin.” Sunnis and Shi’a generally have no problem allying against Infidels.
Note also how the far-Left propagandists at the Guardian call this murderer an “extremist,” which is the same word that Leftist entities have used for me and other foes of jihad violence, despite the fact that we have never been involved in, called for, or approved of any violent activity. This kind of word game is how they demonize and destroy their ideological opponents.
“Extremist thought to be in Iran is de facto new leader of al-Qaida, UN says,” by Jason Burke, Guardian, February 14, 2023:
A veteran Egyptian extremist thought to be based in Iran is now the de facto leader of al-Qaida, a UN report based on intelligence supplied by member states has said.
Saif al-Adel, 62, has long been tipped as the most likely to succeed Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was killed by a US airstrike in Kabul last year, but there has been no official announcement from the group nor other confirmation that the former Egyptian special forces soldier has taken charge.
The report from the UN security council’s committee monitoring sanctions on Islamic State and al-Qaida, published on Monday, said political sensitivities towards Iran and Taliban-run Afghanistan had prevented any formal acknowledgment by al-Qaida of Adel’s new role.
“Member states’ predominant view is that [Adel] is now the de facto leader of al-Qaida, representing continuity for now. But his leadership cannot be declared because of al-Qaida’s sensitivity to Afghan Taliban concerns not to acknowledge the death of … Zawahiri in Kabul and the fact of … [Adel’s] presence in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the report said.
The Taliban were embarrassed by the killing of Zawahiri after giving assurances to the US and others that they would not harbour individuals or groups who threatened the west or its allies from Afghan territory. “The presence of Zawahiri in central Kabul … demonstrated an ongoing and cooperative relationship between al-Qaida and the Taliban,” the report said.
One member state objected to the inclusion in the report of a reference to the presence of the new al-Qaida leader in Iran, the document says. This is believed to be Iran, which has long denied giving any support to al-Qaida, though it is now widely known that dozens of senior members of the group and their families sought safety in Iran after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks of 2001.
The status of al-Qaida members in Iran has never been entirely clear, with their situations varying over the 20 years since their arrival. Some appear to have been held for long periods in various forms of detention; others were allowed significant freedoms. They include members of the family of Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaida, who was killed in Pakistan by US special forces in 2011….