THREAD: If al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb #AQIM confirms the reported death of its leader Abu Musab Abd al-Wadud (aka Abdelmalek Droukdel), who might it name as successor?
The first person that comes to mind is Abu Ubaydah Yusuf al-Annabi, who is described as the head of AQIM's 'Council of Elders'. He's been the public face of AQIM and delivered most of its messages in 2019 on the subject of the Algeria protests. 
Another figure in the group is AQIM's head of media, Abu Abd al-Ilah Ahmad, but he doesn't have a strong profile.
If confirmed, Droukdel will be the latest jihadist figure linked to AQIM and killed in Mali. It's not clear if he, like others, had moved to Mali, or if he was on a field trip there. Whatever the case, it points to the significance of the Mali/Sahel front for al-Qaeda.
It also raises questions whether any AQIM officials remain in Algeria, where the group emerged.
In Feb 2020 Droukdel confirmed the deaths in Mali a year earlier of AQ leadership figures, Tunisian Abu Ayyad al-Tunisi and Algerian Yahya Abu al-Hammam, who had been killed in a France-led military operation in Feb 2019.
The last message he delivered was in March in which he urged the government in Mali to be serious about its offer to hold talks with AQ affiliates in the country
It's worth noting that AQIM is known to be among the most pragmatic of al-Qaeda branches and is infamous among jihadist hardliners (esp ISIS) for the letter it sent to Mali jihadists in 2012 urging them to be flexible to appease locals & work together with local political groups
Annabi, judging from his messages and interview with France24 last year, appears to be from that pragmatic school of jihadi thought. Let's see if he becomes leader.
