Zawahiri, the Egyptian doctor who replaced Osama bin Laden as the head of al-Qaeda four years ago, in a new audio message has argued that the so-called “caliphate” is illegitimate.
The al-Qaeda emir’s audio address is embedded in a video, which is nearly 45 minutes long. A still image of him is used throughout. It was recorded several months ago, but not released until Wednesday, according to The Long War Journal, a website tracking jihadist groups.
Instead of targeting the US, Zawahiri’s ire is directed at Baghdadi whom he accuses of “sedition” and insists the recluse Iraqi terrorist was not the leader of all Muslims and militant jihad as “caliph” of the Islamic State.
In the tape, the al-Qaeda leader apparently confirms that he had not directly addressed infighting among the jihadis of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Qaeda’s Syrian wing, Jabhat al-Nusra or the al Nusra Front, for fear of legitimising ISIS. ISIS, formerly the al-Qaeda branch in Iraq, split from the larger group two years ago. In the tape, Zawahiri complained that Baghdadi had ignored Muslims suffering in Gaza and in Pakistan.