Ibn al-Khattab

Ibn al-Khattab
ابن الخطاب
1st Emir of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya
In office
2000–2002
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAbu al-Waleed
Personal details
Born14 April 1963/1969
Arar, Saudi Arabia
Died20 March 2002 (aged 32/38)
Chechnya, Russia
Nicknames
  • Lion of Chechnya
  • Sword of Islam
Military service
Allegiance Mujahideen in Afghanistan
 Azerbaijan (alleged)
United Tajik Opposition
Mujahideen in Bosnia–Herzegovina
Mujahideen in Chechnya
Years of service1980/1987–2002
Commands Islamic International Brigade
Battles/wars

Samir Saleh Abdullah al-Suwailim (Arabic: سامر صالح عبد الله السويلم; 14 April 1963/1969 – 20 March 2002),[1] commonly known as Ibn al-Khattab or as Emir Khattab, was a Saudi pan-Islamic jihadist. Though he fought in many conflicts, he is best known for his involvement in the First Chechen War and the Second Chechen War, which he participated in after moving to Chechnya at the invitation of the Akhmadov brothers.[2]

The origins and real identity of Khattab remained a mystery to most until after his death, when his brother gave an interview to the press.[3] His death in 2002 had followed his exposure to a poisoned letter, which had been delivered to him by a courier who was secretly affiliated with the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

According to American scholar Muhammad al-Ubaydi who specializes in the study of militant Islam, Khattab's continued relevance is due to his internationalism: a Salafi jihadist born in Saudi Arabia who had taken part in conflicts in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan (allegedly), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chechnya, Dagestan, and Tajikistan, and who in addition to his native Arabic was able to communicate in English, Kurdish, Pashto, Persian, and Russian. Compounding this was his charismatic approach towards attracting non-Arabs to fight for his cause and his pioneering use of modern media dissemination techniques to promote jihad, particularly by way of publishing videos for propaganda purposes.[4]

  1. ^ Alexievich, Svetlana (24 May 2016). Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets. Random House Publishing. ISBN 9780399588815.
  2. ^ Muhammad al-`Ubaydi. "Khattab" (PDF). Combating Terrorism Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Khattab, the man who died for the cause of Chechnya". Islam Awareness. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  4. ^ Muhammad al-`Ubaydi (1 March 2015), "Khattab (Jihadi Bios Project)" Archived 31 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine, pp. 2–3, Combating Terrorism Center. Retrieved 15 May 2020.

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