Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (Arabic: أَبُو مُصْعَبٍ ٱلزَّرْقَاوِيُّ, ’Abū Muṣ‘ab az-Zarqāwī, Father of Musab, from Zarqa; ⓘ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh (أَحْمَدُ فَضِيلِ ٱلنَّزَالِ ٱلْخَلَايْلَةَ, ’Aḥmad Faḍīl an-Nazāl al-Ḫalāyla), was a Jordanian jihadist who ran a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq and being responsible for a series of bombings, beheadings, and attacks during the Iraq War, reportedly "turning an insurgency against US troops" in Iraq "into a Shia–Sunni civil war". He was sometimes known by his supporters as the "Sheikh of the slaughterers".
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi | |
|---|---|
| أَبُو مُصْعَبٍ ٱلزَّرْقَاوِيُّ | |
al-Zarqawi in May 2004 | |
| 1st Emir of Al-Qaeda in Iraq | |
| In office October 17, 2004 – June 7, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Abu Ayyub al-Masri |
| 1st Emir of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad | |
| In office 1999 – October 17, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Merger with Al-Qaeda |
| 1st Emir of the Mujahideen Shura Council | |
| In office January 15, 2006 – June 7, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Abu Ayyub al-Masri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh أحمد فضيل النزال الخلايلة October 30, 1966 Zarqa, Jordan |
| Died | June 7, 2006 (aged 39) Hibhib, Iraq |
| Cause of death | Airstrike |
| Children | 5 |
| Military service | |
| Years of service | 1989–2006 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Battles/wars | Soviet–Afghan War United States invasion of Afghanistan Iraq War |
He formed Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 1999, and led it until his death in June 2006. Zarqawi took responsibility, on several audio and video recordings, for numerous acts of violence in Iraq including suicide bombings and hostage executions. Zarqawi opposed the presence of U.S. and Western military forces in the Islamic world, as well as the West's support for the existence of Israel. In late 2004 he joined al-Qaeda, and pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden. After this al-Tawhid wal-Jihad became known as Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn, also known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), and al-Zarqawi was given the al-Qaeda title "Emir of Al Qaeda in the Country of Two Rivers".
In September 2005, he declared "all-out war" on Shi'ites in Iraq, after the Iraqi government offensive on insurgents in the Sunni town of Tal Afar. He dispatched numerous suicide bombers throughout Iraq to attack American soldiers and areas with large concentrations of Shia militias. He is also thought to be responsible for the 2005 bombing of three hotels in Amman, Jordan. Zarqawi was killed in a targeted killing by a joint U.S. force on June 7, 2006, while attending a meeting in an isolated safehouse in Hibhib, a small village approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) west-northwest of Baqubah. One United States Air Force F-16C jet dropped two 500-pound (230 kg) guided bombs on the safehouse.