Saleh Mohammed al-Oufi, a 38-year-old former Saudi police officer and veteran of the Afghan, Bosnian and Chechen wars, has succeeded the slain Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin as al Qaeda military commander in Saudi Arabia, according to a statement posted on jihadist Web sites. STRATFOR sources close to the Saudi government expect al Qaeda militancy to continue under this new commander — likely aided by al-Oufi's knowledge of — and, more importantly, his connections to — Saudi security forces. Al-Oufi is al Qaeda's fourth known military commander — after Yusuf al-Ayeri, Khaled Ali al-Haj and al-Muqrin — and, like his predecessors, he is a professional fighter. He returned to Saudi Arabia in 1995 after being wounded in battle in Chechnya. He also is considered one of al Qaeda's founding members in the kingdom.