Zarqawi Down, Bin Laden and al-Masri to Go

June 10, 2006 — -- With al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi killed in a June 7 U.S. air strike, who will fill the terror vacuum in Iraq. And with al-Zarqawi out of the way, will al Qaeda leader and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden ever be found?

United States military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said that the logical successor to lead al-Zarqawi's group is Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian. Masri has close ties to bin Laden's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is also the leader of the group known as the "Egyptian mafia" within al Qaeda.

"Al Qaeda needs charismatic leaders to attract followers," said Alexis Debat, an ABC News terrorism consultant and a Senior Fellow at the Nixon Center. "Al-Zarqawi was a rock star. He was very charismatic. They're going to be looking to replace him with someone who will capture the attention and the minds of the Muslim community. … There are several people. The one we're focusing on is Abu al-Masri, who is an Egyptian."

Although not much is known about al-Masri -- including his real name -- Debat said he is experienced at making explosives and recruiting foot soliders in Africa and Asia for the insurgency in Iraq. He may have more international reach than al-Zarqawi.The U.S. Central Command has put a $50,000 reward on al-Masri's head.

Al-Masri formerly worked as the head of al-Zarqawi's international terrorist network before going to Iraq on the eve of the American invasion in March 2003. He was last seen in Baghdad in 2002, when he was reportedly on a mission to establish an al Qaeda cell that could begin operations once the United States overthrew Saddam Hussein and occupied Iraq.

Al-Masri and al-Zarqawi met at the al-Farooq training camp in Afghanistan, where al-Masri worked as an instructor specializing in explosives. He is thought to be about the same age as al-Zarqawi, who was 38 when he died.

On the other major front in the war on terror, the most recent reports of bin Laden place him in a part of Pakistan where hiding is easy.