Abu al-Walid
Encyclopedia
Abu al-Walid (also transliterated
as Abu al-Waleed and also called Abu al-Walid al-Ghamdi or simply Abu Walid) (1967 – April 16, 2004), was a Saudi
-born Arab
of the Ghamid tribe who fought as a "mujahid
" volunteer in Central Asia
, the Balkans
, and the North Caucasus
. He was killed in April 2004 by the Russia
n federal forces.
Al-Walid was one of the most prominent Arabs fighting in Chechnya, and took over as Amir (commander) of an autonomous unit composed mostly of non-Chechen
mujahideen following the death of its previous commander Ibn al-Khattab
on March 20, 2002.
Abu al-Walid was accused by Russia
ns of terrorist attacks on civilians, and "there are allegations that al-Walid is variously an agent of Saudi intelligence, the Muslim Brotherhood
, or Bin Laden's al-Qaeda
." While al-Walid has neither confirmed nor denied these charges, he has condemned abuses and perceived abuses by Russian forces in Chechnya.
n officials announced his death at least seven times and at one point, even his very existence was deemed doubtful.
However on June 23, 2002, his family gave an interview to the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan
, revealing much about his background, including his full given name, Abd Al-Aziz Bin Ali Bin Said Al Said Al-Ghamdi.
and he was born into a large family as one of eleven sons. His brothers claimed that in his youth al-Walid had enjoyed acting, reading religious books and studying the Quran.
. He soon left for Afghanistan
to join the mujahideen in their fight against the Russian forces. The next two years he would spend training at the Maktab al-Khidamat, an organization created by Abdullah Azzam
and Osama bin Laden
with the purpose of training the international volunteers
and distributing funds. Upon completing his training he was assigned to a combat unit with which he participated in the actual fighting. On two occasions he briefly returned to Saudi Arabia, once to have an injury to his left hand treated.
After the end of the Afghan War
al-Walid would go on to fight in other conflicts in Europe and Asia. In the 1990s, the movement would lead him to the Balkans
, where he fought alongside the Bosnian Muslims in the Bosnian War
, Tajikistan
, where he assisted Muslim
Rebels in the Tajik Civil war, and eventually (possibly as early as 1995) to Chechnya
, where he joined a band of mujahideen known as the Arab mujahideen in Chechnya, which had been created and was being led by Ibn al-Khattab
.
al-Walid would serve as a Naib
(deputy) in Khattab's unit. In this role he actively participated in the numerous raids and ambushes that were executed by the IIB, including the April 1996 Shatoy ambush
, in which a large Russian armoured column was attacked and destroyed.
, Dagestan
. An incident which added to the already growing tensions between Moscow
and the newly formed government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
.
In 1999 he participated in the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade’s invasion of Dagestan, one of the events which triggered the outbreak of the Second Chechen War. During this conflict Khattab's first deputy Hakim al-Medani was killed. It is assumed that after al-Medani's death al-Walid was promoted to the position of first deputy. Before the events of 1999 in Dagestan al-Walid was a relatively unknown figure outside of Chechnya. It was only after this incursion that his fame began to rise in Islamist
circles abroad.
, al-Walid’s role would be similar to the one he played in the First Chechen war, he continued to participate in raids and ambushes as Khattab’s deputy. In the spring of 2000, al-Walid would achieve his most important military victories. On February 29, he led the Battle of Ulus-Kert in the vicinity of Ulus-Kert. In this encounter Al-Walid and his forces engaged and surrounded an entire company of the VDV 76th Guards
Air Assault Division from Pskov
. The battle lasted for several days and eventually resulted in the total annihilation of the Russian company. The separatist news agency Chechenpress
reported that only 12 Chechen rebels had been killed in the battle, while estimates of this number by Russian sources range up to 300. In April of the same year he successfully attacked the VDV 51st Guards Parachute Landing Regiment from Tula
.
In the summer of 2001, the late Aslan Maskhadov
, then president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, appointed Abu al-Walid commander of the Eastern front.
After Khattab’s death on March 20, 2002, al-Walid assumed command of the IIB. Soon afterwards he released an article through the foreign Mujahideen’s official website al-Qoqaz in which he explained the circumstances surrounding Khattab’s death. The release of this article also confirmed the fact that he had taken command of the IIB. Later he also issued a video-statement in which he commented on the effect of the death of his predecessor.
On April 9, 2002, al-Walid announced that his forces had shot down the Mil Mi-24 ‘Hind’
gunship that had gone missing two months earlier, and that it’s crew of three had been taken prisoner. To support his claims he also released the serial number of the helicopter and detailed information about the crewmembers. On May 16 he issued an ultimatum to the Russian military authorities; threatening to kill the three prisoners if the Russians would fail to release 20 Chechens who were being held in Russian prisons. The Russians did not comply and nothing has been heard of the crew ever since although the online Chechen Islamist news agency Kavkaz Center
claimed it has unconfirmed information that the crew had possibly been executed. A video of the actual moment the helicopter was shot down was later released and is now circulating on the Internet.
(East) in Chechnya on 16 April 2004. Although several versions of the circumstances surrounding his death exist, the most extensive account is derived from a letter written by Abu Hafs al-Urduni
in the wake of his assuming command of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya
. Stating that al-Walid was “on tour to all regiments to task them with operations and logistical plans," al-Urduni goes on to say that members of al-Walid’s traveling party were captured in the village of Tsa-Vedeno, allowing pro-Moscow security forces to “determine his position in a nearby forest.” After heavy bombardment of the area, snipers would ambush and kill al-Walid. Following his death, al-Walid’s head was cut off by Vostok fighters and sent to a Russian forensic laboratory for the purpose of identification; Yamadaev would be rewarded by Vladimir Putin
as a Hero of the Russian Federation
at the Kremlin
in the summer of 2005.
by the Russian authorities. According to the FSB, Al-Walid was responsible for several terrorist
attacks, including the 1999 apartment bombings
, the 2002 Kaspiysk bombing
, and planned but never executed bacteriological attacks
on Russia. He and Shamil Basayev
were also accused of organizing the suicide-bombing of the Chechen Republic's Government headquarters in Grozny
on December 27, 2002. Although only Basayev claimed responsibility for the attack, Russian officials asserted that the “Arab methods” used in the attack pointed to “Arab militants trained in Afghanistan”. He has also at various times been accused of being an agent of al-Qaeda
, the Muslim Brotherhood
and Saudi Intelligence
. Al-Walid himself has never responded to the allegations, but he never claimed responsibility for any of the terrorist attacks he was reported to be involved in, nor did he ever admit to being a member of al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood or Saudi Intelligence.
There are however several instances known when al-Walid commented on or even announced acts of terrorism. On June 11, 2003, the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on a statement al-Walid had released through the al-Qoqaz News Agency, in which he encouraged the Iraqi insurgents
to carry out suicide operations
. He was quoted as saying; “According to [my] experience in the Caucasus, such operations will have an effect on American and British troops.”
On November 19 of the same year, the Qatar
-based Arabic television network Al-Jazeera broadcast a video statement in which al-Walid commented on suicide bombings carried out by Chechen women, claiming that the attacks had been motivated by fear of rape and brutality by Russian soldiers. A translation of this statement is available on BBC Monitoring
and in a copy of this translation published by KavkazCenter he was quoted as saying;
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
as Abu al-Waleed and also called Abu al-Walid al-Ghamdi or simply Abu Walid) (1967 – April 16, 2004), was a Saudi
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
-born Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
of the Ghamid tribe who fought as a "mujahid
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
" volunteer in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, and the North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
. He was killed in April 2004 by the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n federal forces.
Al-Walid was one of the most prominent Arabs fighting in Chechnya, and took over as Amir (commander) of an autonomous unit composed mostly of non-Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
mujahideen following the death of its previous commander Ibn al-Khattab
Ibn al-Khattab
Samir Saleh Abdullah Al-Suwailem , more commonly known as Emir Khattab meaning Commander Khattab, or Leader Khattab, and also known as Habib Abdul Rahman, was a Muslim guerilla fighter and financier working with Chechen Mujahideen in the First Chechen War...
on March 20, 2002.
Abu al-Walid was accused by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns of terrorist attacks on civilians, and "there are allegations that al-Walid is variously an agent of Saudi intelligence, the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
, or Bin Laden's al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
." While al-Walid has neither confirmed nor denied these charges, he has condemned abuses and perceived abuses by Russian forces in Chechnya.
Identity
During his lifetime, little was known about al-Walid’s background, lifestyle or fighting methods. In sharp contrast to his predecessor – Ibn al-Khattab (more commonly known as Khattab) who was known to have a personal camera crew of two who followed him even into combat, al-Walid was very reclusive. This led to speculation about his identity, whereabouts and actions, and occasionally to rumours of his death. One such rumour that was very persistent was that he had drowned in June 2002 after he and his horse were carried off by the current of a river he was trying to cross. RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n officials announced his death at least seven times and at one point, even his very existence was deemed doubtful.
However on June 23, 2002, his family gave an interview to the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan
Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia)
Al-Watan is a leading reformist newspaper in Saudi Arabia. The main production centre is at Abha in the south of the country, close to the Yemen border.-External links:*...
, revealing much about his background, including his full given name, Abd Al-Aziz Bin Ali Bin Said Al Said Al-Ghamdi.
Early life
Al-Walid was raised in the village of al-Hal, near the city of Baljorashi in Saudi Arabia’s Al Bahah Province. In his native village his father was a well known imamImam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
and he was born into a large family as one of eleven sons. His brothers claimed that in his youth al-Walid had enjoyed acting, reading religious books and studying the Quran.
Afghanistan, Bosnia and Tajikistan
In 1986, when he was 16-years old, al-Walid obtained his parents' permission to partake in JihadJihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
. He soon left for Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to join the mujahideen in their fight against the Russian forces. The next two years he would spend training at the Maktab al-Khidamat, an organization created by Abdullah Azzam
Abdullah Yusuf Azzam
Abdullah Yusuf Azzam was a highly influential Palestinian Sunni Islamic scholar and theologian, who preached in favor of defensive jihad by Muslims to help the Afghan mujahideen against the Soviet invaders...
and Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
with the purpose of training the international volunteers
Afghan Arabs
Afghan Arabs were Arab and other Muslim Islamist mujahideen who came to Afghanistan during and following the Soviet-Afghan War to help fellow Muslims fight Soviets and pro-Soviet Afghans....
and distributing funds. Upon completing his training he was assigned to a combat unit with which he participated in the actual fighting. On two occasions he briefly returned to Saudi Arabia, once to have an injury to his left hand treated.
After the end of the Afghan War
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
al-Walid would go on to fight in other conflicts in Europe and Asia. In the 1990s, the movement would lead him to the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, where he fought alongside the Bosnian Muslims in the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, where he assisted Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Rebels in the Tajik Civil war, and eventually (possibly as early as 1995) to Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, where he joined a band of mujahideen known as the Arab mujahideen in Chechnya, which had been created and was being led by Ibn al-Khattab
Ibn al-Khattab
Samir Saleh Abdullah Al-Suwailem , more commonly known as Emir Khattab meaning Commander Khattab, or Leader Khattab, and also known as Habib Abdul Rahman, was a Muslim guerilla fighter and financier working with Chechen Mujahideen in the First Chechen War...
.
First Chechen War
In the First Chechen WarFirst Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
al-Walid would serve as a Naib
Naib
Naib is an Arabic term for a local leader in some parts of the Ottoman Empire and eastern Caucasus.Naib or NAIB may also refer to:*National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics...
(deputy) in Khattab's unit. In this role he actively participated in the numerous raids and ambushes that were executed by the IIB, including the April 1996 Shatoy ambush
Shatoy ambush
The Shatoy ambush was an April 16, 1996, attack by forces of an Arab-born commander Ibn al-Khattab near the town of Shatoy in the southern mountains of Chechnya, during the First Chechen War.-Battle:...
, in which a large Russian armoured column was attacked and destroyed.
Interwar period and Dagestan War
After the war he would remain in Chechnya along with most of the battalion, which was now focusing its attentions on setting up a network of camps in the mountainous South of the country, in which they trained Islamist rebels from throughout the region, and even further abroad. He also married a Chechen woman with whom he would later have two children. On December 22, 1997 he participated in Khattab's Buynaksk raid, a surprise attack on the base of the 136th Armoured Brigade of the Russian Army, stationed in BuynakskBuynaksk
Buynaksk is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus on the Shura-Ozen River, southwest of the republic's capital Makhachkala. Population: 40,000 ....
, Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
. An incident which added to the already growing tensions between Moscow
Government of Russia
The Government of the Russian Federation exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister , the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers...
and the newly formed government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is the unrecognized secessionist government of Chechnya. The republic was proclaimed in late 1991 by Dzokhar Dudayev, and fought two devastating wars between separatists and the Russian Federation which denounced secession...
.
In 1999 he participated in the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
circles abroad.
Second Chechen War
In the Second Chechen WarSecond Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
, al-Walid’s role would be similar to the one he played in the First Chechen war, he continued to participate in raids and ambushes as Khattab’s deputy. In the spring of 2000, al-Walid would achieve his most important military victories. On February 29, he led the Battle of Ulus-Kert in the vicinity of Ulus-Kert. In this encounter Al-Walid and his forces engaged and surrounded an entire company of the VDV 76th Guards
Russian Guards
Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
Air Assault Division from Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
. The battle lasted for several days and eventually resulted in the total annihilation of the Russian company. The separatist news agency Chechenpress
Chechenpress
State Information Agency Chechenpress is the news agency of the Chechen separatists who proclaim themselves to be the representatives of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria...
reported that only 12 Chechen rebels had been killed in the battle, while estimates of this number by Russian sources range up to 300. In April of the same year he successfully attacked the VDV 51st Guards Parachute Landing Regiment from Tula
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
.
In the summer of 2001, the late Aslan Maskhadov
Aslan Maskhadov
Aslan Aliyevich Maskhadov was a leader of the Chechen separatist movement and the third President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.He was credited by many with the Chechen victory in the First Chechen War, which allowed for the...
, then president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, appointed Abu al-Walid commander of the Eastern front.
After Khattab’s death on March 20, 2002, al-Walid assumed command of the IIB. Soon afterwards he released an article through the foreign Mujahideen’s official website al-Qoqaz in which he explained the circumstances surrounding Khattab’s death. The release of this article also confirmed the fact that he had taken command of the IIB. Later he also issued a video-statement in which he commented on the effect of the death of his predecessor.
On April 9, 2002, al-Walid announced that his forces had shot down the Mil Mi-24 ‘Hind’
Mil Mi-24
The Mil Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship and attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for 8 passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and by over thirty other nations.In NATO circles the export...
gunship that had gone missing two months earlier, and that it’s crew of three had been taken prisoner. To support his claims he also released the serial number of the helicopter and detailed information about the crewmembers. On May 16 he issued an ultimatum to the Russian military authorities; threatening to kill the three prisoners if the Russians would fail to release 20 Chechens who were being held in Russian prisons. The Russians did not comply and nothing has been heard of the crew ever since although the online Chechen Islamist news agency Kavkaz Center
Kavkaz Center
The Kavkaz Center is a privately run website by pro-Chechen which aims to be "a Chechen internet agency which is independent, international and Islamic" that "does not represent the viewpoint of any state structures"...
claimed it has unconfirmed information that the crew had possibly been executed. A video of the actual moment the helicopter was shot down was later released and is now circulating on the Internet.
Death
Al-Walid was killed by members of Sulim Yamadaev’s Special Battalion “Vostok”Special Battalions Vostok and Zapad
Special Battalions Vostok and Zapad were two Spetznaz units of Russian military intelligence based in Chechnya. The overwhelming majority of personnel were ethnic Chechens, while the command personnel were mixed Russian and Chechens....
(East) in Chechnya on 16 April 2004. Although several versions of the circumstances surrounding his death exist, the most extensive account is derived from a letter written by Abu Hafs al-Urduni
Abu Hafs al-Urduni
Abu Hafs al-Urduni , also transliterated as Abu Hafs al-Urdani was a Mujahid Emir fighting in Chechnya. After Abu al-Walid’s death in April 2004, he assumed command of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya...
in the wake of his assuming command of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya
Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya
The Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya is an international unit of Islamist Mujahideen fighting in Chechnya and other parts of the North Caucasus....
. Stating that al-Walid was “on tour to all regiments to task them with operations and logistical plans," al-Urduni goes on to say that members of al-Walid’s traveling party were captured in the village of Tsa-Vedeno, allowing pro-Moscow security forces to “determine his position in a nearby forest.” After heavy bombardment of the area, snipers would ambush and kill al-Walid. Following his death, al-Walid’s head was cut off by Vostok fighters and sent to a Russian forensic laboratory for the purpose of identification; Yamadaev would be rewarded by Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
as a Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
at the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
in the summer of 2005.
Allegations of involvement in terrorism
Like Khattab and many of the other Arabs fighting in Chechnya, al-Walid has often been accused of involvement in terrorismTerrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
by the Russian authorities. According to the FSB, Al-Walid was responsible for several terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
attacks, including the 1999 apartment bombings
Russian apartment bombings
The Russian apartment bombings were a series of explosions that hit four apartment blocks in the Russian cities of Buynaksk, Moscow, and Volgodonsk in September 1999, killing 293 people and injuring 651. The explosions occurred in Buynaksk on 4 September, Moscow on 9 and 13 September, and...
, the 2002 Kaspiysk bombing
2002 Kaspiysk bombing
2002 Kaspiysk bombing was a May 9, 2002, attack which ripped through the military parade to commemorate the 57th anniversary of Soviet victory in the World War II on Lenin Street in the city of Kaspiysk, Dagestan...
, and planned but never executed bacteriological attacks
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
on Russia. He and Shamil Basayev
Shamil Basayev
Shamil Salmanovich Basayev was a Chechen militant Islamist and a leader of the Chechen rebel movement.Starting as a field commander in the Transcaucasus, Basayev led guerrilla campaigns against the Russian troops for years, as well as launching mass-hostage takings of civilians, with his goal...
were also accused of organizing the suicide-bombing of the Chechen Republic's Government headquarters in Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
on December 27, 2002. Although only Basayev claimed responsibility for the attack, Russian officials asserted that the “Arab methods” used in the attack pointed to “Arab militants trained in Afghanistan”. He has also at various times been accused of being an agent of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
, the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
and Saudi Intelligence
Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah
The Ri'āsat Al-Istikhbārāt Al-'Āmah , or the General Intelligence Presidency , is the primary intelligence agency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.- History :...
. Al-Walid himself has never responded to the allegations, but he never claimed responsibility for any of the terrorist attacks he was reported to be involved in, nor did he ever admit to being a member of al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood or Saudi Intelligence.
There are however several instances known when al-Walid commented on or even announced acts of terrorism. On June 11, 2003, the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on a statement al-Walid had released through the al-Qoqaz News Agency, in which he encouraged the Iraqi insurgents
Iraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
to carry out suicide operations
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
. He was quoted as saying; “According to [my] experience in the Caucasus, such operations will have an effect on American and British troops.”
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
-based Arabic television network Al-Jazeera broadcast a video statement in which al-Walid commented on suicide bombings carried out by Chechen women, claiming that the attacks had been motivated by fear of rape and brutality by Russian soldiers. A translation of this statement is available on BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation which monitors, and reports on, mass media worldwide. Based at Caversham Park in Caversham, Reading in southern England, it has a number of overseas bureaux including Moscow, Nairobi, Kiev, Baku, Tashkent, Cairo, Tbilisi, Yerevan...
and in a copy of this translation published by KavkazCenter he was quoted as saying;
“These women, particularly the wives of the Mujahideen who were martyred, are being threatened in their homes, their honour and everything are being threatened. They do not accept being humiliated and living under occupation. They say that they want to serve the cause of Almighty God and avenge the death of their husbands and persecuted people.”
On March 13, 2004, one day before the Russian presidential electionRussian presidential election, 2004Presidential elections were held in Russia on 14 March 2004. Incumbent Vladimir Putin was seeking a second full four-year term. He was re-elected with 71.31% of the vote.-Sergey Glazyev:...
, al-Walid released another video statement which was broadcast by Al-Jazeera. In the interview he commented on the Russian strategy of dropping mines in the forested areas from which the Chechen insurgents are carrying out their guerrilla warGuerrilla warfareGuerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
against the Federal Armed ForcesArmed Forces of the Russian FederationThe Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
and their Chechen collaborators. He was quoted as following;
“The enemies of God drop mines in the forests and God willing, we will return them to the Russians and they will find them on their land and in the midst of their families. (…) But perhaps we may wait a little to see the upcoming elections. If they elect someone who declares war on Chechnya, then the Russians are declaring war against the Chechens and by God we will send them these [mines]... Not only these but also things that did not cross their minds. (…) We will return these to you [Russians]… You will, God willing, see hundreds of people crippled.”It is not known whether or not these threats have ever been carried out.
Although it is known that the Amirs of the Arab mujahideen in Chechnya have been instrumental in the acquisition and distribution of funds provided by wealthy, Salafist charities like al-HarameinAl-Haramain FoundationAl-Haramain Islamic Foundation was a charity foundation, based in Saudi Arabia, alleged by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in a September 2004 press release to have "direct links" with Osama bin Laden...
, there has never been any solid proof of links to al-Qaeda or other international terrorist organizations, nor did any of them ever claim responsibility for the terrorist attacks they had been accused of ordering. While his predecessor Khattab often responded to accusations of terrorism in the media, denying any involvement, the more reclusive al-Walid never did. Whether or not he has ever had any ties with terrorist organizations, or if he has ever been involved in the planning and execution of terrorist attacks, remains unknown.
External links
Interviews
- KavkazCenter; A lot of job ahead this year…! (the last interview with Abu al-Walid)
Articles
- (The Jamestown Foundation’s Chechnya Weekly) The Rise and Fall of Foreign Fighters in Chechnya
- (The Sunday Times) Saudi warlord leads Russian bombers
Websites
Video