Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has announced via the al-Malahim publication that senior member Khaled Saleh al-Din Zidane, son of de facto al-Qaeda leader and suspected emir Saif al-Adel has died.
According to the Long War Journal, Zidane has been deployed to Yemen as al-Adel’s personal representative where he ““plays a critical role in recruitment, media and managing AQAP internal strife.”
It is not currently clear how Zidane died. This is developing.
Mohamed Salah al-Din al-Halim Zaidan commonly known by his nom de guerre Saif al-Adel is a former Egyptian Army officer and explosives expert who is widely understood to be the de facto leader of al-Qaeda. After the killing of Zawahiri in 2022, al-Adel has been handling operations in Somalia, Yemen, and Syria from his communication center in Iran where he enjoys the protecting of the IRGC. He has refused to leave Iran for Afghanistan since 2015, fearing U.S. retaliations.
Adel has been on the U.N. sanctions blacklist as Egyptian-born Mohammed Salahaldin Abd El Halim Zidan since January 2001.
