Al Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahiri declares war on Islamic State

London: Setting to rest speculations about a possible tie-up between the two dread terrorist groups, al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri blasted ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and said that he was not the leader of all Muslims.

As per a report in the Mirror, Zawahiri has relased a message online in he accused al-Baghdadi of sedition.

"We preferred to respond with as little as possible, out of our concern to extinguish the fire of sedition, but Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his brothers did not leave us a choice, for they have demanded that all the mujahideen reject their confirmed pledges of allegiance, and to pledge allegiance to them for what they claim of a caliphate," Zawahiri said.

The Qaeda chief said “Everyone was surprised" by Baghdadi's declaration anointing himself the fourth caliph in Islamic history, adding that he has done so without consulting the Muslims.

Interestingly, a few back Zawahri, while dismissing Baghdadi as illegitimate, had said that al Qaeda will join Islamic State in fighting the Western-led coalition in Iraq and Syria if possible.

In an audiotape on the internet, Zawahri said: "We don't recognize this caliphate."

"Despite the big mistakes (of Islamic State), if I were in Iraq or Syria I would cooperate with them in killing the crusaders and secularists and Shi'ites even though I don't recognize the legitimacy of their state, because the matter is bigger than that," he said.