Cause of death Drone strike Organization al-Qaeda Died 2012, Pakistan | Name Abu-Zaid Kuwaiti Religion Sunni Islam | |
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Native name Khalid Bin Abdul Rehman Al-Hussainan
(خالد بن عبد الرحمن الحسينان) Born c. 1965 or 1966 Kuwait Known for Possible heir to Ayman al-Zawahiri | ||
Abu-Zaid al Kuwaiti (born Khalid Bin Abdul Rehman Al-Hussainan; c.1965 – December 7, 2012) was a high-ranking affiliate of Al-Qaeda, and was considered a potential successor to Ayman al-Zawahiri, the head of the Salafist jihad group. Abu-Zaid was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan.
Biography
Abu-Zaid al Kuwaiti was born in Kuwait in either 1965 or 1966. He became affiliated with the Al-Qaeda jihadist group and became among the top tier of leaders, and was considered a potential heir to the organization. Because of this, he became a high-value target for the United States and Pakistani government. He was killed in a drone attack while eating breakfast in Pakistan, and the Al-Qaeda organization admitted his martyrdom online. NBC News journalist (and also a Justice Department consultant) Evan Kohlmann commented on his death in an interview with NBC. “That's a big gap in the leadership,” said Kohlmann, who is also a Justice Department consultant. “He was the last senior Al-Qaida leader in the Afghanistan-Pakistan area who was, one, from the Arabian Peninsula and, two, who had serious clerical credentials. Now there is no obvious publicly recognizable candidate left to succeed Zawahiri.”