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Abu Omar al-Baghdadi

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For other uses, see Baghdadi (disambiguation).
Abu Omar al-Qurashi al-Baghdadi
ابو عبدالله الراشد البغدادي
A man believed to be Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.
Born
حميد داود محمد خليل الزاوي
DiedApril 18, 2010
Tikrit, Iraq
Known forLeader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Mujahideen Shura Council
PredecessorAbu Ayyub al-Masri
SuccessorAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Military career
Allegiance Baathist Iraq
(unknown-2003)
Al-Qaeda
(2006-2010)
Service/branchIraqi Army (unknown-2003)
ISI (2006-2010)
RankEmir of Islamic State of Iraq
Battles/warsIraq War

Hamid Dawud Mohamed Khalil al Zawi (Arabic: حميد داود محمد خليل الزاوي, died 18 April 2010) — known as Abu Abdullah al-Rashid al-Baghdadi (ابو عبدالله الراشد البغدادي), Abu Hamza al-Baghdadi (pronunciationⓘ AH-boo OH-mahr ahl bahg-DAHD-ee [needs IPA]), and Abu Omar al-Qurashi al-Baghdadi[1][2] — was presented as the leader of the Mujahideen Shura Council (also translated as "Council of Freedom Fighters",[3] "Consultative Council of Mujahedeen",[2] and "Council of Holy Warriors"[4]), an umbrella organization composed of eight groups that oppose the United States' military presence in Iraq, and its successor organisation, the Islamic State of Iraq.

Biography

Very little is known about al-Baghdadi. It is stated that he may have served with the former Iraqi army as an officer during the Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein.[5][6]

Identification and false report of capture

The Interior Ministry of Iraq claimed that al-Baghdadi was captured in Baghdad on 9 March 2007,[7] but it was later said that the person in question was not al-Baghdadi.[8] On 3 May 2007, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said that al-Baghdadi was killed by American and Iraqi forces north of Baghdad.[9] However, in July 2007, the U.S. military reported that al-Baghdadi never actually existed.[10][11] The detainee identified as Khaled al-Mashhadani, a self-proclaimed intermediary to Osama bin Laden, claimed that al-Baghdadi was a fictional character created to give an Iraqi face to a foreign-run terror group, and that statements attributed to al-Baghdadi were actually read by an Iraqi actor.[12]

In March 2008, the spokesman for an insurgent organization that is hostile to the Coalition, Hamas-Iraq, claimed that al-Baghdadi was a fabrication made by Al Qaeda to put a false Iraqi face to their organization.[13] However, US military officials later reported that Al Qaeda replaced Baghdadi with an actual Al Qaeda leader.[14]

On 7 May 2008, the Arabic-language satellite channel Al-Arabiya, citing information obtained from an Iraqi police official, identified al-Baghdadi as Hamid Dawoud al-Zawi.[15] On 23 April 2009, AFP reported that he was arrested by the Iraqi military,[16] and on 28 April the Iraqi government produced photos to prove it to skeptics. The claim was denied by the Islamic State in Iraq[17] which according to SITE Institute released a genuine recording of al-Baghdadi denying the government's recent claims. However, the Iraqi government refuted this claim and insisted that the man captured was indeed Baghdadi.[18] Tapes and messages from Baghdadi were released throughout 2009 and 2010.[19][20]

Death

On 18 April 2010, al-Baghdadi was reported killed over the weekend when a joint operation of American and Iraqi forces rocketed a home where he was hiding near Tikrit, Iraq. Abu Ayyub al-Masri was also reported as killed in the attack.[21] His son was also killed in the attack and 16 others were arrested. He was killed in a safe house 10 kilometres (6 mi) southwest of Tikrit and was found dead in a hole in the ground inside a house.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced the killings of al-Baghdadi and Ayyub al-Masri at a news conference in Baghdad and showed reporters photographs of their bloody corpses. "The attack was carried out by ground forces which surrounded the house, and also through the use of missiles", al-Maliki said. "During the operation computers were seized with e-mails and messages to the two biggest terrorists, Osama bin Laden and [his deputy] Ayman al-Zawahiri", al-Maliki added. U.S. forces commander Gen. Raymond Odierno praised the operation. "The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al-Qaida in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency", he said. "There is still work to do but this is a significant step forward in ridding Iraq of terrorists".

Vice President Joe Biden said that the killings of the top two al-Qaida figures in Iraq are "potentially devastating" blows to the terror network there and proof that Iraqi security forces are gaining ground.[22][23][24] On 25 April 2010, a four-page statement by the Islamic State of Iraq was posted on a militant website early Sunday confirmed the death of al-Masri and Al-Baghdadi saying "After a long journey filled with sacrifices and fighting falsehood and its representatives, two knights have dismounted to join the group of martyrs," the statement said. "We announce that the Muslim nation has lost two of the leaders of jihad, and two of its men, who are only known as heroes on the path of jihad."

The ISI shariah minister, Abu al-Walid Abd al-Wahhab al-Mashadani, also said the two leaders were attending a meeting when enemy forces engaged them in battle and launched an airstrike on their location. Another thing he said was that the "Crusaders" and Shi'ites will exploit the incident to improve the image of Iraqi security services and give the enemy alliance an illusory victory after the mass-casualty incidents carried out by the ISI in Baghdad, the statement added, in an apparent reference to Friday's bomb attacks.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ Insurgent leader arrested in Iraq, Wimmera News. March 10, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Al-Qaeda names mystery man to succeed Zarqawi. Agence France Presse. 13 June 2006.
  3. ^ Burns, John F.; Filkins, Dexter (13 June 2006). "A Jihadist Web Site Says Zarqawi's Group in Iraq Has a New Leader in Place". New York Times.
  4. ^ Filkins, Dexter; Burns, John F. (16 June 2006). "U.S. Portrayal Helps Flesh Out Zarqawi's Heir". New York Times.
  5. ^ "Saddam Hussein's revenge from beyond the grave: How ISIS's land grab across the Middle East is being orchestrated by former Iraqi dictator's generals". Daily Mail. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Most of Islamic State's leaders were officers in Saddam Hussein's Iraq". Washington Post. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  7. ^ Iraqi ministry: Militant leader arrested in Baghdad, CNN. 9 March 2007.
  8. ^ "Captured Iraqi not al-Baghdadi", Al Jazeera, March 10, 2007.
  9. ^ "Iraq says insurgent leader dead". CNN. May 3, 2007.
  10. ^ Gordon, Michael R. (18 July 2007). "Leader of Al Qaeda group in Iraq was fictional, U.S. military says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Yates, Dean (18 July 2007). "Senior Qaeda figure in Iraq a myth: U.S. military". Reuters. p. 1. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
  12. ^ Susman, Tina (19 July 2007). "Al-Qaida's man in Iraq unveiled as fictional character". Los Angeles Times via Chron.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010.
  13. ^ MEMRI: Latest News
  14. ^ Bill Roggio April 19, 2010 (2010-04-19). "US and Iraqi forces kill Al Masri and Baghdadi, al Qaeda in Iraq's top two leaders". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 2012-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Report: Al-Qaida in Iraq leader identified with photograph - International Herald Tribune
  16. ^ Head of Al-Qaeda in Iraq arrested in Baghdad: army, Agence France-Presse, 23 April 2009.
  17. ^ Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq denies head captured, Reuters, 12 May 2009
  18. ^ Secure at Last May 18th, 2009 - 07:52:55 (2009-05-18). "Iraqi security forces insist detainee is al-Qaeda leader". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved 27 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Al-Qaida leader in Iraq calls for continued jihad Associated Press Maamoun Youssef – 23 March 2010.
  20. ^ WorldAnalysis.net archive of text and translations of tapes listed as by al-Baghdadi
  21. ^ Waleed Ibrahim. "Al Qaeda's top two leaders in Iraq have been killed, officials said Monday, in a strike the United States called a "potentially devastating blow" but whose impact analysts said may be limited". Thomson Reuters.
  22. ^ [1][dead link]
  23. ^ "Iraqi al-Qaeda leaders 'killed'". BBC News. 19 April 2010.
  24. ^ Template:Wayback
  25. ^ Qaeda confirms deaths of leaders in Iraq: statement
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