Profile: Saif al Adel of al Qaeda

By Ryan Zoellner

After months of ambiguity over al Qaeda’s leadership, Saif al Adel became its third emir, the United Nations reported in February 2023. He succeeded Osama bin Laden, the Saudi founder who was killed during a U.S. ground raid in May 2011, and Ayman al Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor who died in a U.S. drone strike in July 2022. Adel’s leadership style has differed from his predecessors. He was widely viewed as a shrewd and seasoned military tactician, who rose quickly through al Qaeda’s ranks.

State of U.S. Campaign Against ISIS

In 2022, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted more than 300 operations against ISIS operations that killed 686 operatives—466 in Syria and at least 220 in Iraq, including the emir and dozens of regional leaders. In February, Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al Qurayshi, the global ISIS caliph, set off a suicide vest as the U.S. special operations forces approached in Syria. In July, Maher al Agal, the leader of ISIS in Syria, was killed in a U.S. drone strike. Another 374 members of ISIS were detained. “We are committed and, more importantly, our partners in Iraq and Syria are committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS,” said Maj. Gen. Matt McFarlane, the commander of the U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve.

U.S. Officials on Jihadi Threat in 2023

In 2023, the United States faced multifaceted threats from foreign terrorist organizations such as ISIS and al Qaeda as well as state sponsors of terrorism and lone wolf actors, National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid warned in January. The most direct threat to the U.S. homeland was from individuals inspired by jihadi groups. But the United States still needed to be “really vigilant” about foreign terrorist groups, Abizaid said. “And that's principally an al Qaeda and an ISIS threat.”

Iran’s Dissident Sunni Cleric

By Aaron Boehm

Molavi Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi, the most outspoken Sunni cleric in Iran, has demanded an end to theocratic rule but rejected violence as a political tool to achieve it. “Governments should serve people, not torture them,” he told followers in January 2023. “No ruler on the earth has absolute authority.” The cleric long advocated for gradual change within the framework of the Islamic Republic. After protests erupted in the fall of 2022, he demanded massive political reforms.

U.S. Report: ISIS and al Qaeda Threats

ISIS and al Qaeda were “resilient and active” terrorist threats, according to the State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2021. ISIS and its affiliates—particularly in Africa and Afghanistan—waged a “large-scale terrorism campaign” despite pressure from the United States and local partners. Al Qaeda and its branches in the Middle East and Africa were “quite capable of inflicting damage” on U.S. allies and interests. The two organizations posed the greatest terrorist threats in the Middle East along with Iran and its proxy militias.

U.S. Sanctions ISIS Financial Network

On January 5, the United States and Turkey sanctioned four Iraqi men and two Turkey-based companies for supporting ISIS financial activities in the Middle East. The network, led by ISIS official Brukan al Khatuni, facilitated ISIS recruitment and financial transfers. “Today’s action reaffirms Treasury’s commitment to degrade ISIS’s ability to operate globally,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement. “These designations and accompanying asset freezes are a result of close coordination and collaboration with our Turkish partners to target ISIS activity in the region.”

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