Zarqawi successor still unclear, says White House

Washington, June 16 : The White House said the identity of the successor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq killed in a US bombing raid, was still unclear.

But White House spokesman Tony Snow said last week's death should send a message to anyone considering taking Zarqawi's place, ''which is, do you really want to take on this job?'' Al Qaeda named the successor as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir. The U.S. military said it believed Muhajir was actually Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who they have hunted for years, but it was uncertain whether he would really head the group's Iraq operations.

''We're not actually certain that he (Masri) is the person who's going to step forward to lead this organization. There's still some uncertainty on that,'' White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley said yesterday.

While there was evidence suggesting Masri and Muhajir were the same person, it was not certain, a US intelligence official said. ''There are those who believe the evidence is not conclusive,'' the official said on condition of anonymity.

Egyptian-born Masri, an aide of Zarqawi, trained in Afghanistan and formed al Qaeda's first cell in Baghdad, according to the U.S.

military.

Al Qaeda vowed to avenge the killing of Zarqawi in a statement posted on a Web site this week and signed by Muhajir.

The White House portrayed Zarqawi as having a major role in the international al Qaeda group, which was behind a series of high-profile attacks including the September 11 destruction of the New York World Trade Center.

Snow put him as number three in the organization. ''To be number three in al Qaeda is one (position) that has a relatively short life expectancy. I think Zarqawi is now the fifth to have fulfilled that position,'' he said.

Top al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri, believed to be hiding in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, have eluded a US-led manhunt.

Hadley said the impact of Zarqawi's death went beyond the operations in Iraq.

''He had become the principal and most reliable and effective operator for the al Qaeda organization, and had been increasingly given responsibility for planning not only in Iraq but for operations outside Iraq, in the region and potentially even against the United States,'' Hadley said.

''We're going to have to see who really emerges to lead this organization and how it changes operationally over time. It's too soon to tell.''

Reuters

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