Kashmiri could replace Osama: US officials

Dreaded terrorist Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri,who is linked to multiple terror plots including a series of planned Mumbai style attacks in key European cities,could succeed Osama bin Laden as the chief of al-Qaeda.

Ilyas Kashmiri may succeed Osama,as Ayman al-Zawahri the presumed successor,is deeply unpopular in some circles and his elevation is by no means guaranteed,NBC reported quoting a senior US official. His star has been on the rise for the last several years, said the official. He would have to be on the al-Qaeda short list.

US intelligence agencies have increasingly focused on Kashmiri in recent years. The CIA has targeted him in drone attacks in Pakistan and prosecutors have indicted him in a major terrorism case involving a Chicago businessman Tahawwur Hussain Rana who goes on trial next week,the channel said.