U.S. Identifies Egyptian as Zarqawi's Successor

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The U.S. military has a new most wanted man in Iraq. They believe Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been chosen as al-Qaida's new leader in the country. And they predict al-Masri will embrace the same bloody tactic as his predecessor, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed last week by U.S. air strikes.

But as NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports, some Iraq watchers believe this new leader may choose a different path.

MARY LOUISE KELLY reporting:

U.S. Major General William Caldwell briefed reporters in Baghdad today, standing before a photograph of a dark-eyed man sporting a wispy beard and a white headdress. This, Caldwell said, is the new face of terrorism in Iraq. Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

Major General WILLIAM CALDWELL (U.S. Army): We know he was responsible the movement of foreign fighters from Syria through the southern Baghdad belt into Baghdad itself. We know al-Masri has been a terrorist since about 1982, beginning with his involvement in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which was led by al-Zawahiri.

KELLY: Like Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two leader of al-Qaida worldwide, al-Masri is Egyptian. Caldwell says he's an explosives expert trained in Afghanistan. U.S. military officials had started pointing to al-Masri as a likely successor just hours after Zarqawi's death, but this week brought confusion. A militant identifying himself as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir weighed in on an Islamist Web site calling himself the new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Today, Gen. Caldwell says he believes the two men are in fact one and the same. Caldwell also suggested al-Masri's grip on power is far from secure and that rivals may be waiting in the wings.

General CALDWELL: Al-Masri's ability to effectually exert leadership over the al-Qaida cells remains unclear. And how many al-Qaida senior leadership members and Sunni terrorists may attempt to exert their influence and take charge is unknown at this time.

KELLY: Indeed, that an Egyptian has appeared to have emerged as the new leader has surprised some analysts. Jeffrey White is a former chief of Middle East Intelligence at the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency. He says the choice indicates that while Iraqis might be carrying out more attacks these days, foreign fighters are still calling the shots.

Mr. JEFFREY WHITE (Defense Intelligence Agency): There had been an opportunity here for the native Iraqi leadership to assert itself in the wake of Zarqawi's death. And his death, of course, provided an opportunity for someone local, a native Iraqi, to emerge. That apparently has not happened.

KELLY: But it still might, White says. He believes the key thing to watch will be what targets insurgents pick in the coming weeks. Zarqawi was known for targeting civilians, from car bombing innocent Iraqis to beheading American hostage Nicholas Berg. Those tactics drew criticism even from other terrorists.

Wayne White, no relation to Jeffery, ran the State Department's Iraq Intelligence Team until last year. He says if al-Masri is smart, he'll want to improve ties with other insurgents. That would mean shifting away from targeting civilians.

Mr. WAYNE WHITE (U.S. State Department): Back to operations against government targets, against security forces, against recruiting centers, etcetera, at the very time when the new government doesn't need any more pressure.

KELLY: Here's one more unknown about al-Masri, how deep his ties run to al-Qaida's central leadership. Zarqawi had pledged fealty to Osama Bin Laden, but it's widely believed there was tension between the two men. This week, the internet statement purporting to come from the new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was addressed, in part, directly to Bin Laden. The message, we await your signal and follow your orders.

Mary Louise Kelly, NPR News, Washington.

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