The mystery heir to al-Zarqawi

[spindrifter]

The Times June 13, 2006

By Ned Parker and Rana Sabbagh-Gargour


AL-QAEDA in Iraq anointed a successor to its dead founder, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, yesterday and vowed to carry on his holy war against US-led forces.
In a statement posted on an Islamic website, the militant organisation named a little-known figure, Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, as its new leader, saying he was “a good brother, has a history in jihad and is knowledgeable. We ask God that he . . . continue what Sheikh Abu Musab began.”

Insurgent sources told The Times that al-Muhajir — a nom de guerre meaning “migrant” — was Egyptian and had fought in Afghanistan and against US forces during the battle of Fallujah in November 2004. He knows the Koran by heart and follows the teachings of Abdullah Azzam, the late mentor of Osama bin Laden.

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A third insurgent source said: “He will have a good influence on Arab and Iraqi fighters . . . he led three times as many battles as al-Zarqawi because it was harder for al-Zarqawi to move around.”

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2222426,00.html

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If you go to the source article, just above it is a diagram of the main injuries to Zarqawi.