Zawahiri’s Appointment Shows Al-Qaeda Still a Threat, Gates Says

The appointment of Ayman Zawahiri as the new leader of al-Qaeda serves as a reminder that the terrorist group “seeks to perpetuate itself,” U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

Zawahiri was identified as the successor to Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a U.S. commando raid in Pakistan last month, in a posting yesterday on a website frequently used by the terrorist group.