TERRORISM: AL-BAGHDADI TO REPLACE AL-ZARQAWI AS INSURGENCY CHIEF, REPORTS

Tehran, 3 April (AKI) - Jordanian al-Qaeda militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is about to be replaced as leader of the coalition of Iraq's insurgent groups by Abdullah ben Rashid al-Baghdadi, according to Iranian website Emrouz, which is close to former president Mohammad Khatami. The website cited as source Huthaifa Azzam, whose father was a mentor of Osama Bin Laden.

"An Iraqi called Abdullah ben Rashid al Baghdadi was appointed as new political chief of al-Qaeda in Iraq," Azzam was quoted as saying. "Abu Musab [al-Zarqawi] for the moment will continue to be in charge of military operations but will soon be removed from this position."

The replacement, Emrouz reported citing Azzam, is due to the "political and strategic mistakes made by him, which have sensibly damaged the Islamic mujahadeen movement in Iraq."

Azzam cited as mistakes al-Zarqawi's decision to "act in the name of the Iraqi people" and to "provoke Iraq's neighbouring countries."

The attacks against the Shiite community and its holy sites are however the real motive explaining Zarqawi's demotion, according to the report.