Details Out Of How bin Laden's Son Coordinated Efforts Between Zawahiri and Iran's Qods Forces

Some pretty revealing coordination between Iran and Al Qaeda has been brought to light as a report from National Intelligence has come to light. It appears that Osama bin Laden's son, Sa’ad bin Laden, directly facilitated communications between al Qaeda's #2 Zawahiri and the Qods Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps. Just yesterday, the United States named Sa'ad bin Laden and a few others as wanted terrorists. Here's some of the details from the article over at The Long War Journal:

Osama bin Laden’s son coordinated communications between al Qaeda’s second in command and Iran’s Qods Force, according to Mike McConnell , the outgoing Director of National Intelligence.
Sa’ad bin Laden facilitated communications between Ayman al Zawahiri and Qods Force, the notorious special operations branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, in September 2008 after the deadly attack on the US embassy in Yemen.
Sa’ad entered Pakistan’s northwest to meet with Zawahiri in Pakistan sometime in early September, McConnell claimed. Sa’ad’s whereabout is currently unknown but he is still thought to be with al Qaeda’s senior leadership inside Pakistan. Sa’ad, his brother Hamza, and other senior al Qaeda leaders are known to routinely travel back and forth between Iran and Pakistan.

Zawahiri spoke directly to Qods Force commander Brigadier General Qassem Suleimani, a senior US intelligence official told The Long War Journal. “Zawahiri was concerned that the al Qaeda-manned militia fighting on the side of the government against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels might threaten Iran’s interests in Yemen,” the official said. Yemen swells the ranks of the militia by inviting Arabs to willing to fight in the north.

An interesting part of this account is how these terrorists across the world have to be concerned about stepping on the toes of other terrorists. It is a bit out of the ordinary for an Egyptian Sunni extremist like Zawahiri to be meeting up or communicating directly with the likes of the Persian Shia in Iran but I guess when your common goal of destroying the "Great Satan", then differences can be put on hold.

It will also be interesting to see just how aggressive the Americans will get in their pursuit of bin Laden's son - if he is indeed still traveling back and forth from NW Pakistan to Iran...you'd think there might be some prime targeting missions for the UAV patrols over NW Pakistan.

Osama’s son coordinates call between Zawahiri and Iran’s Qods Force

Zawahiri spoke directly to Qods Force commander Brigadier General Qassem Suleimani, a senior US intelligence official told The Long War Journal. “Zawahiri was concerned that the al Qaeda-manned militia fighting on the side of the government against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels might threaten Iran’s interests in Yemen,” the official said. Yemen swells the ranks of the militia by inviting Arabs to willing to fight in the north.
The Yemeni government has battled the Shia Houthi in the Sa’ana region since 2003, and has integrated hundreds of al Qaeda fighters into a militia that operates in the north. In December 2003, Hamza Ali Saleh al Dhayani, a senior al Qaeda leader in Yemen, admitted in an interview that the Yemeni government is cynical when dealing with al Qaeda.
"I am ready to prove the reality that some attacks were planned in co-ordination and agreement of the [Yemeni] Political Security [Organization] and its agents to gain foreign support and to confirm to America that they (the Yemeni state) launch war against terrorism," Dhayani said in an interview with the Mareb Press .
Tensions between the Saleh government and al Qaeda increased after an al Qaeda assault team conducted a coordinated attack on the US embassy in Sana’a. “Saleh feared his government would be the next target, but Zawahiri wanted al Qaeda prisoners released from Yemeni jails and committed al Qaeda foot soldiers to fight the Houthi rebels. Zawahiri does not want to sour relations” between al Qaeda and Iran, “so he took great care by reaching out to the Iranians.”
On Jan. 16, the US treasury designated Sa’ad bin Laden and three members of al Qaeda’s shura majlis, or executive council, as terrorists under Executive Order 13224. Sa’ad and the three other men are known to be senior al Qaeda planners, commanders, and financiers.
Treasury identified Mustafa Hamid as a senior most al Qaeda leader who is “al Qaeda’s emir of Iranian operations " as well as "al Qaeda’s ambassador to Iran." The US agency provided details of Hamid’s nears two decades operating from Iran andcoordnating Iran and al Qaeda.