Iran or Afghanistan: The Whereabouts of Saif al-Adel and al-Qaida Commanders

Written by Nolan R Beasley

Amidst the ongoing persistent bombardment of the Iranian regime, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and their infrastructure, the question must be presented, inquiring as to the whereabouts of al-Qaida senior commander Saif al-Adel. The same question applies to any of his lieutenants who may be with him in the embattled nation.

Proposal to the Taliban

A mystery as to the location and actions of Saif al-Adel during the Iran conflict, may have already been answered in the form of a missive from early January, quietly reported by Afghan media on February 5, 2026. Apparently fearing the worst outcome of a combined American-Israeli assault on the Iranian regime, Saif al-Adel sought self-preservation and wrote earnestly to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, requesting of the Taliban leader that an al-Qaida leadership cadre be allowed to transplant to Afghanistan1. Saif al-Adel was cognizant of the possible repercussions for the Taliban due to their potential sheltering of the fugitive terrorist. Therefore, he emphasized that the move was not to be permanent but rather a waypoint amidst a longer sojourn to either Iraq, Syria, or another hospitable nation2. All too clear was the memory of the Afghan invasion, and undoubtedly Saif al-Adel knew the Taliban leadership would not want to fight another decades long war for the Arab network yet again. The letter was delivered to officials in Kandahar through an intermediary known as Abdulrahman Wardak and through the governor of Panjshir province3.

Despite the careful approach, it is worth noting that in July 2024, Saif al-Adel was believed to have composed a statement attempting to manipulate global anger and shock over conditions in Gaza, in order to recruit jihadists. Most telling is that he implored extremists to descend upon Afghanistan as a base camp, due to its favorable conditions and the veteran experience of the Taliban4. Thus, he had already called upon and opened the door for followers to transplant to the Taliban ruled nation – [A].

By the time of the news story’s revelation, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada had yet to offer his condoning of Saif al-Adel’s intended movement, waiting instead to see if the situation in Iran fully deteriorated5. Therefore, it is unknown if the al-Qaida emir actually moved to Afghanistan. The letter also seems clear that there would be an entourage of officials involved in the maneuver with Saif al-Adel. This brings about the question of exactly where current al-Qaida commanders may be located.

Whereabouts of Other Officials

Iran

The US Department of State believes that Moroccan Abdulrahman al-Maghrebi, the alias of Zawahiri son-in-law and as-Sahab media leader Mohamed Abbatay is in fact located in Iran, as per his $7 million bounty listing on the Rewards for Justice site6. He was believed to have completed a relocation to Iran in 2012 in order to avoid incessant drone strikes and counterterror raids in Pakistan and Afghanistan7. That being said, at least one report based on “sources close to al-Qaida,” claimed that Maghrebi was living in the same Kabul residence as Ayman al-Zawahiri, when the Egyptian al-Qaida chieftain was assassinated via drone on July 31, 20228. Thus, it is possible that some consolidation of senior officials into Afghanistan was already underway, or it may merely have been necessitated due to the familial connections, with Abbatay married to Zawahiri’s daughter Nabila9.

A US Department of State announcement concerning Maghrebi also listed an associate in Iran named Sultan Yusef Hassan al-Arif10. The 2021 terrorist designation did not provide operational details, but did identify him as a Saudi national utilizing aliases including Qattal al-Abdali, Qattal al-Najdi, and Abu Musab al-Saudi11.

On April 3, 2009 a militant in the Khorasan, referring to himself as Sultan al-Abdali “Qattal” al-Jadawi, wrote to Osama bin Laden, proclaiming that, “God be our witness, we fight in Afghanistan and Waziristan with our eyes on the Arab Peninsula12.” This was one of a collection of three missives penned by combatants of the al-Qaida Omar Faruq Battalion operating in the dangerous Kunar province at the time13. Demonstrating the Saudi’s longevity in theatre, the letter also exposed his dedication to a variety of jihadist causes, including within his own homeland. Based on the overlap of aliases, it must be assumed that the individual from the 2009 letter is the same as the designated terrorist in 2021. As to what the aspiring jihadist evolved into that warranted his position in Iran, some scholars have further postulated that he is in fact al-Qaida ideologue Awab Hassan al-Hassani, known to also identify as Qattal14.

Unsurprisingly, persistent al-Qaida facilitator and trafficker Yasin al-Suri was again confirmed as operating in Iran within the 2021 announcement15. First designated in by the Treasury and State Departments in 2011, the Syrian, born as Ezzedin Abdulaziz Khalil, boasted an impressive $10 million bounty and began laboring in Iran early in the insurgency, during 200516.

In terms of potential fellow Egyptians with Adel in Iran, one is Yisra Mohamed Ibrahim Bayumi, a Majlis ash-Shura councilor known as Abu Humam al-Saidi17. Formerly detained in Iran after the US invasion of Afghanistan, Bayumi was also the brother in law of al-Qaida paramilitary stalwart Abu al-Hassan al-Saidi18. As an intermediary to the Iranians, he was instrumental is transferring funds through the adversarial nation, providing assistance to al-Qaida members, and facilitating the liberation of senior officials therein19. A 2016 terrorism designation from the US Department of the Treasury described Bayumi, along with another Iran based logistician, the Algerian Abu Bakr Mohamed Mohamed Ghumayn. Known as Abu Ubaidah al-Jaziri, Ghumayn was an al-Qaida intelligence and security official in tribal Pakistan before transplanting to Iran in 2015 and assuming responsibility for finances of operatives in country20. Suspected to remain in Iran also is Egyptian Ali Said Mohamed Mustafa al-Bakri, known as Abdulaziz al-Masri, an explosives and chemical engineer once seated upon the Majlis ash-Shura. However, despite a $5 million bounty and a terrorist designation from 200521, his status stands as unconfirmed.

Finally, Faisal Jasim Mohamed al-Amri al-Khalidi, otherwise known as Abu Hamza al-Khalidi, was by May 2015, the ranking component of the al-Qaida Military Committee22. This after a stint as a Battalion commander, wherein he earned praise in al-Qaida internal communications as a prime candidate for further leadership posts. A year later, he too was reported to be stationed in Iran23.

Afghanistan

In the early 2020s, there may have been fewer establishment or old guard al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as a vestige of an age of drone strikes and combat raids against them during the war. However, with the Taliban resumption of power and the withdrawal of coalition forces, the conditions have become increasingly hospitable. Known Majlis ash-Shura member Hamza al-Ghamdi (Saleh Said Abdulrahman al-Bitaih al-Ghamdi)24 was said to have been by the side of Ayman al-Zawahiri on his sojourn from Pakistan to Afghanistan25. Furthermore, he was confirmed to be utilizing a cousin referred to as Abdulrahman al-Ghamdi as his envoy to al-Qaida operatives in Iran26 – [B]. Due to prejudice against Iran, Hamza al-Ghamdi was stated to be rooted to Kandahar as of 202427.

Thus, well before Saif al-Adel and his entourage desiring to relocate, al-Qaida was expanding its presence within Afghanistan. The UN reported in early 2024 that al-Qaida were now operating eight additional training encampments, some of which were located in Parwan, Uruzgan, Laghman, and Ghazni provinces28. Therefore, there must be some officials remaining in order to oversee such infrastructure. In fact, if Saif al-Adel is looking to reconvene with Egyptian militants, it was also revealed by the UN that an al-Qaida senior known as Hakim al-Masri, from his perch in Kunar province, was overseeing the aforementioned camps, and instructing and preparing suicide operatives for the TTP for there seemingly never-ending conflict against the government in neighboring Pakistan29. There is really no additional information as to the identity or history of Hakim al-Masri, but it must be assumed that due to the influence and closeness of the Egyptian cadre of al-Qaida, he would be able to facilitate Saif al-Adel in case of a transplant. Also in terms of Kunar, long standing Egyptian Abu Ikhlas al-Masri was shown to be commanding or stewarding the infamous al-Qaida Omar Faruq Battalion in the province, absorbing six new foreigners to assist in the endeavor during 202330. This after his release from custody after the Taliban assumed control of the government, thus allowing his rejuvenation of the Battalion in Kunar and Nuristan, as reported by the UN in February 202331.

Scholars have provided a litany of unknown names described as Afghanistan based al-Qaida leadership, without describing their functions or histories, including one Sheikh Faruq al-Masri32. Similarly, those declared by the UN monitoring reports, but with unconfirmed identities, were Ahmed al-Qatari, former close Zawahiri aide Sheikh Abdulrahman (perhaps the aforementioned Abdulrahman al-Ghamdi, or even a relocated Abdulrahman al-Maghrebi), and Abu Othman al-Saudi33 – [C].

The potential merging of these two contingents, from Iran into Afghanistan, could be dangerous to regional security or implosive and detrimental for the organization, as it struggles with identity. Saif al-Adel maintained a close working relationship with IRGC – Quds Force commander Qasim al-Soleimani and the IRGC infrastructure34, thus precipitating a natural distrust among those al-Qaida elements less enthused about cooperation with the Iranian regime. But with the IRGC facing an existential threat, Adel is apparently forced to reconsider his handlers and hosts, yearning for the protection of the Taliban and Haqqani Network. It must be emphasized that during a 2019 meeting between al-Qaida and Taliban representatives, al-Qaida was gifted assurances that no previous bonds between the entities would be severed under any circumstance35. We must assume that Sirajuddin Haqqani will act shrewdly in regards to the matter, as he was instrumental in sheltering Ayman al-Zawahiri before the slaying of the al-Qaida commander36, and would relish to opportunity to control and manipulate a combined al-Qaida leadership cadre. Thus it is reasonable to assume that Taliban and Haqqani leadership would again provide haven for al-Qaida, this time for Saif al-Adel.

CITATIONS and SUBSTANTIVE NOTES:

  • [A] The UN and scholars assert with confidence that this is the writing of Saif al-Adel37. It is worth noting that the release is signed by Salim al-Sharif, believed to be an alias for Adel. Interestingly, there was in fact a Salim al-Sharif on the 1990s roster of al-Qaida members. He appears to have been Yasin Obaid Salim al-Sharif, a Saudi arrested in 2002 within his home kingdom, early in the War on Terror. His whereabouts have since been unknown.
  • [B] At least one report seems to conflate Abdulrahman al-Ghamdi with militant Ali Abdulrahman al-Faqasi al-Ghamdi38, who operated and was arrested during 2003, early in the al-Qaida insurgency within Saudi Arabia – For details see Chronicles in Zealotry Special Series: Fugitives Of The Peninsula – (Chapter 7 – Saudi Counteroffensive Summer 2003) – https://chroniclesinzealotry.com/2024/09/25/series-fugitives-of-the-peninsula-chapter-7-saudi-counteroffensive-summer-2003/ – We do not assess this to be the same individual, due to lack of supporting evidence
  • [C] While the UN report transliterates the Saudi’s alias as “Abu Osman,” as a native of the Arabian Peninsula, the standard pronunciation would be that of Othman, utilizing the voiceless dental fricative of th – as in thick or thin ϴ.
  1. Al-Qaeda discusses temporarily relocating its leadership to Afghanistan, Afghanistan International, February 5, 2026, https://www.afintl.com/ar/202602052340 ↩︎
  2. Al-Qaeda discusses temporarily relocating its leadership to Afghanistan, Afghanistan International, February 5, 2026, https://www.afintl.com/ar/202602052340 ↩︎
  3. Al-Qaeda discusses temporarily relocating its leadership to Afghanistan, Afghanistan International, February 5, 2026, https://www.afintl.com/ar/202602052340 ↩︎
  4. as-Sahab Media production, This is Gaza: A War of Existence, Not a War of Borders, Salim al-Sharif, summer 2024 ↩︎
  5. Al-Qaeda discusses temporarily relocating its leadership to Afghanistan, Afghanistan International, February 5, 2026, https://www.afintl.com/ar/202602052340 ↩︎
  6. US Department of State Rewards for Justice program, Abulrahman al-Maghrebi, January 12, 2021, https://rewardsforjustice.net/rewards/abd-al-rahman-al-maghrebi/ ↩︎
  7. US Department of State Rewards for Justice program, Abulrahman al-Maghrebi, January 12, 2021, https://rewardsforjustice.net/rewards/abd-al-rahman-al-maghrebi/ ↩︎
  8. Al Qaeda Is Planning to Fake the Death of Its Dead Leader, by Sami Yousafzai, The Daily Beast, January 6, 2023, https://www.thedailybeast.com/al-qaeda-is-planning-to-fake-the-death-of-ayman-al-zawahiri-its-dead-leader/ ↩︎
  9. Infatuated With Martyrdom: Female Jihadism From Al-Qaeda to the ‘Islamic State,’ Mohammad Abu Rumman and Hassan Abu Hanieh, Translated by Banan Malkawi, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung – Jordan & Iraq, 2017 ↩︎
  10. United States Takes Action to Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa’ida, US Department of State, Global Public Affairs, Office of the Spokesperson – Statement by Secretary Michael R. Pompeo, January 12, 2021, https://2017-2021-translations.state.gov/2021/01/12/united-states-takes-action-to-counter-iranian-support-for-al-qaida/ // Designation of Sultan Yusuf Hasan al-`Arif as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, US Department of State Notice, January 6, 2021, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/14/2021-00632/designation-of-sultan-yusuf-hasan-al-arif-as-a-specially-designated-global-terrorist ↩︎
  11. United States Takes Action to Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa’ida, US Department of State, Global Public Affairs, Office of the Spokesperson – Statement by Secretary Michael R. Pompeo, January 12, 2021, https://2017-2021-translations.state.gov/2021/01/12/united-states-takes-action-to-counter-iranian-support-for-al-qaida/ // Designation of Sultan Yusuf Hasan al-`Arif as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, US Department of State Notice, January 6, 2021, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/14/2021-00632/designation-of-sultan-yusuf-hasan-al-arif-as-a-specially-designated-global-terrorist ↩︎
  12. Verbally Released Document for Naseer Trial, Specifically Letter from Sultan al-Abdali “Qattal” al-Jadawi to Osame bin Laden, dated April 3, 2009 ↩︎
  13. Verbally Released Document for Naseer Trial, Specifically Letter from Sultan al-Abdali “Qattal” al-Jadawi to Osame bin Laden, dated April 3, 2009 ↩︎
  14. Twenty Years After 9/11: The Terror Threat from Afghanistan Post the Taliban Takeover, by Asfandyar Mir, CTC Sentinel, Volume 14, Issue 7, September 2021, https://ctc.westpoint.edu/twenty-years-after-9-11-the-terror-threat-from-afghanistan-post-the-taliban-takeover/ // The State of al-Qa`ida Central, by Kevin Jackson, CTC Sentinel, Volume 17, Issue 4, April 2024, https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-state-of-al-qaida-central/ ↩︎
  15. United States Takes Action to Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa’ida, US Department of State, Global Public Affairs, Office of the Spokesperson – Statement by Secretary Michael R. Pompeo, January 12, 2021, https://2017-2021-translations.state.gov/2021/01/12/united-states-takes-action-to-counter-iranian-support-for-al-qaida/ ↩︎
  16. Rewards for Justice – Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil (a.k.a. Yasin al-Suri) Reward Offer, US DEpartment of State, Office of the Spokesperson press release, December 22, 2011, https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/12/179618.htm ↩︎
  17. Treasury Designates Three Senior Al-Qaida Members, US Department of the Treasury Press Release, July 20, 2016, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jl0523 // Counter Terrorism Designations – Specially Designated Nationals List Update, US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, July 20, 2016, https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20160720 ↩︎
  18. Letter from Osama bin Laden to Ayman al-Zawahiri, “Letter to Sheikh Mohamed,” dated August 17, 2007 ↩︎
  19. Treasury Designates Three Senior Al-Qaida Members, US Department of the Treasury Press Release, July 20, 2016, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jl0523 // Counter Terrorism Designations – Specially Designated Nationals List Update, US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, July 20, 2016, https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20160720 ↩︎
  20. Treasury Designates Three Senior Al-Qaida Members, US Department of the Treasury Press Release, July 20, 2016, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jl0523 // Counter Terrorism Designations – Specially Designated Nationals List Update, US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, July 20, 2016, https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20160720 ↩︎
  21. US Department of State Rewards for Justice program, Ali Sayyid Muhamed Mustafa al-Bakri, 2007, https://rewardsforjustice.net/rewards/ali-sayyid-muhamed-mustafa-al-bakri/ ↩︎
  22. Treasury Designates Three Senior Al-Qaida Members, US Department of the Treasury Press Release, July 20, 2016, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jl0523 // Counter Terrorism Designations – Specially Designated Nationals List Update, US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, July 20, 2016, https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20160720 ↩︎
  23. Treasury Designates Three Senior Al-Qaida Members, US Department of the Treasury Press Release, July 20, 2016, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jl0523 // Counter Terrorism Designations – Specially Designated Nationals List Update, US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, July 20, 2016, https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20160720 ↩︎
  24. US State Department, Rewards for Justice Program, Hamza al-Ghamdi, June 11, 2024, https://rewardsforjustice.net/rewards/hamza-al-ghamdi/ ↩︎
  25. Report Reveals Details Regarding Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri at Haqqani Guesthouse, Afghanistan International, August 2, 2024, https://www.afintl.com/en/202408024256 ↩︎
  26. 33rd UN Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report on ISIS and al-Qaida, January 29, 2024 ↩︎
  27. X post of Sami Sadat, former Deputy Chief of General Staff for the Afghan National Army, June 13, 2024, https://twitter.com/SayedSamiSadat/status/1801236872129032512 ↩︎
  28. 33rd UN Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report on ISIS and al-Qaida, January 29, 2024 ↩︎
  29. 33rd UN Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report on ISIS and al-Qaida, January 29, 2024 ↩︎
  30. 33rd UN Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report on ISIS and al-Qaida, January 29, 2024 ↩︎
  31. 31st UN Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report on ISIS and al-Qaida, February 13, 2023 ↩︎
  32. Twenty Years After 9/11: The Terror Threat from Afghanistan Post the Taliban Takeover, by Asfandyar Mir, CTC Sentinel, Volume 14, Issue 7, September 2021, https://ctc.westpoint.edu/twenty-years-after-9-11-the-terror-threat-from-afghanistan-post-the-taliban-takeover/ ↩︎
  33. Eleventh report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2501 (2019) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan, May 27, 2020, https://docs.un.org/en/S/2020/415 ↩︎
  34. Leadership from Iran: How Al-Qaeda in Yemen Fell Under the Sway of Saif al-Adel, by Hussam Radman and Assim al-Sabri, Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, February 28, 2023, https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/19623 ↩︎
  35. Eleventh report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2501 (2019) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan, May 27, 2020, https://docs.un.org/en/S/2020/415 ↩︎
  36. Report Reveals Details Regarding Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri at Haqqani Guesthouse, Afghanistan International, August 2, 2024, https://www.afintl.com/en/202408024256 ↩︎
  37. Sixteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2763 (2024) concerning the Taliban and other associated individuals and entities constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan, United Nations Security Council, December 8, 2025, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2134271/n2531731.pdf ↩︎
  38. Iran Continues To Offer Safe Haven To Al-Qaeda, US Confirms, Afghanistan International, February 27, 2024, https://www.iranintl.com/en/202402273383 ↩︎

© Copyright 2026 Nolan R Beasley

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