Kuwaiti Al-Qaida Figure Killed In US Drone Strike

by Florian Flade

He loved to give lectures. Sheikh Khalid Abdur Rahman al-Hussainan, a Kuwaiti national, became one of the most prominent Al-Qaida figures in recent years. Numerous of his lectures were released by the terrorist organization´s media wing As-Sahab Media including several „Ramadan lessons“.

Al-Hussainan is dead now. He was killed Friday morning in a US drone strike in the Pakistani tribal region North Waziristan while – according to Jihadi sources – eating his „dawn meal“ (breakfast).

According to US intelligence sources Al-Hussainan aka „Abu Zaid al-Kuwaiti“ was the successor of Abu Yahya al-Libi, a Libyan Al-Qaida commander killed several months ago in a similar drone strike.

The Kuwaiti Al-Qaida cleric had allegedly worked as an official in the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kuwait before joining the jihadists in Afghanistan.

Emir der IBU stirbt bei US-Drohnenangriff

von Florian Flade

Usman Adil – IBU Anführer getötet im April

Im August 2009 verlor die „Islamische Bewegung Usbekistans“ (IBU), die wohl aggressivste Terrorgruppe im afghanisch-pakistanischen Grenzgebiet, ihren langjährigen Anführer Tahir Yuldashev durch einen US-Drohnenangriff. Monatelang schwieg IBU zum Tod des Gruppen-Mitbegründers, dann erklärten die Islamisten ihn offiziell zum „Märtyrer“

Knapp drei Jahre später ereilt Yuldashevs Nachfolger das gleiche Schicksal. Der IBU-Emir Usman Adil ist nach Angaben der Terrorgruppe im April von den Raketen einer amerikanischen Drohne getötet worden. Vermutlich starb Adil am 29.April nahe Miranshah in Nord-Waziristan als ein Drohnenangriff auf ein leerstehendes Schulgebäude stattfand in dem sich Dschihadisten unterschiedlicher Gruppen getroffen hatten. Den Anwohnern zufolge starben bei dem Luftangriff insgesamt vier Personen, darunter Usbeken und Tadschiken.

Adil trat in mehreren Propagandavideos der IBU als Prediger auf. Er galt als enger Vertrauter von Tahir Yuldashev und pflegte Beziehungen zu pakistanischen Taliban-Führern wie Hakimullah Mehsud. Sein Nachfolger wurde bereits ernanntn: Usman Ghazi.

New Abu Yahya al-Libi Videos – Dead or What?

by Florian Flade

Abu Yahya al-Libi in new video message released June 22

Three weeks have passed since a US drone strike in North Waziristan allegedly killed Al-Qaida´s Top commander Abu Yahya al-Libi. Since then Al-Qaida has neither officially confirmed nor denied the death of al-Libi. Question still remains: Is the White House´s claim true or not?

Instead of celebrating the martyrdom of yet another of its leaders Al-Qaida is releasing videos of al-Libi. Last week the terrorist network´s media wing „As-Sahab“ released a 17-minute video statement titled „The American Military and Ethics of Wars“ in which al-Libi talks about civilian deaths in Afghanistan.

The more interesting details regarding the second new Abu Yahya al-Libi tape within two weeks is: Al-Qaida does not seem to regard him as dead. The organization labels him „Al-Sheikh Al-Mujahid Abu Yahya al-Libi (may Allah protect him)“ – the latter phrase indicating the person is still alive. Otherwise the phrase „may Allah have mercy upon him“ would be used.

Like the other video message released recently – titled „Tragedies of Ash-Sham: Between the Crimes of the Nusayris and the Plots of the West“ – the newest al-Libi tape was allegedly recorded in the Islamic year of 1433. So no indicating the videos were produced after the June 4th drone strike? No.

Al-Qaida could be playing the old game of not confirming or denying a leader´s death and meanwhile releasing all the old footage of the person recorded in recent months. In other cases – for example the death of Atiyyatullah al-Libi – it took months for Al-Qaida to publish a statement.

The Western intelligence community is pretty sure Abu Yahya al-Libi is history…but still lacks the proof.