In a video message released in February, Al Qaeda's number 2 leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri pledged allegiance to Taliban chief Mullah Omar and urged his followers to do the same. In an unusual move, Zawahiri made no mention whatsoever of Al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden in the message.
Why? My analysis: It is actually very simple. Ever since the Pakistanis withdrew from the lawless tribal zone and surrendered the land, the Taliban have been in complete control of that region. The tribal areas of Pakistan is where the core Al Qaeda leadership is believed to be hiding. With his message, Zawahiri is trying to secure he and other top Al Qaeda officials' security in this region. Bin Laden was probably unable to send a message out, so of course that job was left to his right hand man. With the Taliban splintering and evolving, Bin Laden and Zawahiri want to make sure that they have the same kind of support from the Taliban in Pakistan that they had from the Taliban in Afghanistan pre-9/11. Essentially, they're kissing their hosts' asses to save themselves and their organization. It is common knowledge that both Osama Bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri count on these Taliban dominated areas for their own survival. Seeing how Zawahiri was almost killed twice in this area last year, I believe this was pretty much a "We're still tight, right guys?" kind of message. As of right now, it appears that they are.
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