Gates unimpressed by new al Qaeda chief

WASHINGTON - Ayman al-Zawahri, the newly appointed chief of al Qaeda, lacks the charisma and operational skills of Osama bin Laden as a terror leader, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday.

But he said the selection of al Qaeda's former No. 2 to take bin Laden's place is a reminder that the terror group is still out there and must be pursued.

"Despite having suffered a huge loss with the killing of bin Laden and a number of others, al Qaeda seeks to perpetuate itself, seeks to find replacements for those who have been killed and remains committed to the agenda that bin Laden put before them," Gates told Pentagon reporters, at what was billed as his last scheduled press conference before retiring at the end of the month.

Bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. Navy SEALs on May 2, scoring a treasure trove of computer data and intelligence.

Al-Zawahri, an Egyptian doctor, is known as a divisive figure who won't be the same kind of powerful inspirational leader that bin Laden was.

He is also known to have an intensely personal hatred of the United States: His wife and at least two of their six children were killed in a U.S. airstrike following the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.

Gates said he read little into the fact that it took seven weeks for al Qaeda to name a successor.

"It's probably tough to count votes when you're in a cave," Gates quipped.