AQIM Mourns Majed Al-Majed, Threatens Hizbullah if Continues to 'Oppress' Sunnis

The al-Qaida's North Africa branch mourned on Tuesday the death of the “emir” of the al-Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades Majed al-Majed, considering that he had traveled to Lebanon to “defend Sunnis.”

"Today, we say goodbye to a brave leader and to an honorable man who spent his days in jihad to defend vulnerable Muslims,” a statement released by AQIM (al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb) stated.

The statement, which was published on CNN's website on Monday afternoon, revealed that al-Majed had come to Lebanon to defend Sunnis.

“He came to Lebanon where Sunnis are greatly oppressed, where the government is treasonous and where there is a sectarian gang working under the commandment of Qom's rulers,” it elaborated.

Addressing Hizbullah, the statement added: “I tell you, al-Majed has left behind what will deprive you of your sleep, he left men that do not accept to be treated as inferiors in their own religion.”

"We will not quit until this land is free of your evil acts, unless you come back to your senses and quit oppressing Sunnis in Syria, Iraq and in other Islamic countries.”

AQIM assured that “Sunnis will attain their goal and succeed in their noble cause.”

The army announced on January 4 the death of al-Majed after the deterioration of his health. He was suffering from kidney problem.

Majed is the suspected head of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, which claimed responsibility for the November 19 attack against the Iranian embassy in Beirut, killing 25 people.

According to Islamist websites, he was revealed to be the leader of the Brigades in 2012.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades group was designated in the United States in 2012 as a "terrorist organization".

It was formed in 2009 and is believed to have branches in both the Arabian Peninsula and Lebanon.

In 2009, Lebanon sentenced Majed in absentia to life in prison for belonging to a different extremist group, the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam.

The Army Command said in a statement that he died while he was being treated at the central military hospital.