Khalid al-Aruri
Khalid al-Aruri | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 July 1967 Ramallah,West BankunderIsraeli Military Governorate |
| Died | 14 June 2020(aged 52) Idlib,Syria |
| Allegiance |  al-Qaeda |
| Service/ | Guardians of Religion Organization |
| Years of service | 1990s–2020 |
| Battles/wars | Syria
Lebanon |
Khalid Mustafa Khalifa al-Aruri(Arabic:خالد مصطفى خليفة العاروري;25 July 1967 – 14 June 2020), known asAbu al-Qassam,was aPalestinian-JordanianIslamic militant and a member ofal-Qaedawho was the leader of theGuardians of Religion Organization.[1]
History
[edit]Khalid al-Aruri was born on 25 July 1967, inRamallahon theWest Bank.[citation needed]He grew up in the city ofZarqainJordanand was a Jordanian citizen.[2]
While in Zarqa he metAbu Musab al-Zarqawiand in 1989 both men traveled toAfghanistan,staying there until 1993. In 1991, he is said to have worked for theInternational Islamic Relief Organization.From 29 March 1994 until March 1999, they were imprisoned together inJordanand al-Zarqawi founded his Bayt al-Imam organization. After their release, the two traveled again to Afghanistan where Al-Aruri become the commander of Al-Zarqawi's jihadi training camp nearHerat.[3]
The relation between al-Qa'ida topleaderSayf al-Adland Khalid al-Aruri goes back to 1999 when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had meetings with the al-Qa'ida leadership in Kandahar before opening his training camp near Herat. According to al-Adl, al-Zarqawi "used to travel with Khalid al-Aruri and Sulayman Darwish Abu-al-Ghadiyah."[4]
After Zarqawi and his men left Afghanistan in 2001, al-Aruri was one of Zarqawi's trusted inner circle advisors and became one of the key liaisons withAnsar al-Islamin Northern Iraq.[5]Al-Aruri operated as al-Zarqawi's quartermaster and was in charge of training camps in Northern Iraq.[6]Abu al-Qassam participated in an important meeting with people close toMullah Krekarin August 2003 in Tehran.
On 5 February 2003, Al-Aruri as Abu Ashraf was mentioned in the speech of Secretary of State Colin Powell to the U.N. Security Council. As Abu Ashraf, he was shown on a partial organization chart which was linked to four cells operating in Europe. Cited were a "UK poison cell" a "Spain cell" a "French poison cell", and a "possible Italy cell."[7]Former Director of Intelligence and Counterintelligence at the U.S. Department of Energy and CIA veteran Rolf Mowatt-Larssen stated that "Secretary Powell’s information used for this part of speech proved to be accurate in the course of events."[8]
Arrest in Iran
[edit]Al-Aruri moved to Iran and was one of al-Zarqawi's main facilitators there. In a Moroccan investigation into the March2003 Casablanca bombings,Al-Aruri surfaced as a financier of the attacks as he had sent U.S. $70,000 to the Moroccan Aziz Hummani.[9]In 2003 he was arrested inTehran.[2]
Release by Iran
[edit]In March 2015, Khalid al-Aruri was released by Iran together with other high level al-Qa'ida leaders includingSaif al-Adel,Abu Khayr al-MasriandAbdullah Ahmed Abdullah.[10][11]
In September 2015, Khalid al-Aruri went toSyriaworking foral-Qaeda.He confirmed his presence there in 2017, when he released a eulogy for Abu Khayr al-Masri.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Al-Aruri married Alia, a sister of the lateAbu Musab al-Zarqawi,while inHerat.He was also known by his aliases Abu al-Qassam, Abu Ashraf and Abu Jabal.[12]
Death
[edit]On 14 June 2020, a U.S. drone strike killed Khalid al-Aruri and Bilal al-Sanaani who were driving a vehicle inIdlib,Syria.[13]The munition used on the vehicle was probably the kineticHellfire R9Xmissile that uses blades to eviscerate its target rather than an explosive warhead, as there was no explosion and al-Aruri's vehicle was relatively intact.[14]
References
[edit]- ^Thomas Joscelyn (15 August 2019)."Wanted al Qaeda leader warns of Turkish influence on jihad in Syria".Long War Journal.Retrieved11 September2019.
- ^abc"Abu al-Qassam: Zarqawi's right-hand man who stayed loyal to al-Qaida".Jihadica.20 November 2017.
- ^Mohammed M. Hafez, Suicide bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom (Washington DC 2007) p. 255
- ^FBIS, Detained Al-Qa'ida Leader Sayf al-Adl Chronicles Al-Zarqawi's Rise in Organization, Jihadist Websites, Arabic, 21 May 2005
- ^Mohammed M. Hafez, Suicide bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom (Washington DC 2007) p. 255
- ^Jean Charles Brisard and Damien Martinez, Zarqawi: The New Face of Al Qaeda (Cambridge 2005) p 170
- ^"Multimedia Presentation: Colin Powell's Case Before the U.N."The Washington Post.
- ^Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, Al Qaeda Weapons of Mass Destruction Threat: Hype or Reality? Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, January 2010;http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/al-qaeda-wmd-threat.pdfArchived2011-10-16 at theWayback Machine
- ^Jean Charles Brisard and Damien Martinez, Zarqawi: The New Face of Al Qaeda (Cambridge 2005) p 38
- ^Rukmini Callimachi; Eric Schmitt (17 September 2015)."Iran Released Top Members of Al Qaeda in a Trade".The New York Times.Retrieved11 September2019.
- ^Adam Goldman (18 September 2015)."Top al-Qaeda operatives freed in prisoner swap with Iran".The Washington Post.Retrieved11 September2019.
- ^Jean Charles Brisard and Damien Martinez, Zarqawi: The New Face of Al Qaeda (Cambridge 2005) p 22
- ^"U.S. reportedly targets 2 senior al Qaeda figures in airstrike in Syria".FDD's Long War Journal.14 June 2020.
- ^"A missile full of swords was likely behind the death of two Al Qaeda commanders in Syria".Task & Purpose.16 June 2020.Retrieved10 February2022.
