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{{Short description|Mujahid commander (1973–2006)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Abu Hafs Al-Urduni<br>أبو حفص الأردني
| name = Abu Hafs Al-Urduni
| native_name = {{lang|ar|{{Script/Arabic|أبو حفص الأردني}}|rtl=yes}}
| image = Abu Hafs al-Urduni2.jpg
| image = Abu Hafs al-Urduni2.jpg
| imagesize = 225px
| imagesize = 225px
| birth_date = 1973
| birth_date = 1973
| birth_place = [[Zarqa, Jordan]]
| birth_place = [[Zarqa]], [[Jordan]]
| death_date = 26 November 2006<br>(aged 33)
| death_date = 26 November 2006<br>(aged 33)
| death_place = [[Khasavyurt|Khasav-Yurt]], [[Dagestan]]
| death_place = [[Khasavyurt|Khasav-Yurt]], [[Dagestan]], [[Russia]]
| office1 = 3rd Emir of the [[Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya]]
| office1 = 3rd Emir of the [[Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya]]
| term_start1 = 2004
| term_start1 = 2004
Line 13: Line 15:
| successor1 = [[Muhannad (jihadist)|Muhannad]]
| successor1 = [[Muhannad (jihadist)|Muhannad]]
<!--Military service-->| allegiance =
<!--Military service-->| allegiance =
| Active = 1980s–2006
| serviceyears = 1980s–2006
| commands =
| commands =
| battles = [[Soviet–Afghan War]]<br>[[Civil war in Tajikistan|Tajik Civil War]]<br>[[First Chechen War]]<br>[[Second Chechen War]]
| battles = [[Soviet–Afghan War]]<br>[[Civil war in Tajikistan|Tajik Civil War]]<br>[[First Chechen War]]<br>[[Second Chechen War]]
}}
}}


'''Abu Hafs al-Urduni''' ({{lang-ar|أبو حفص الأردني}}; <!--br-->1973 – November 26, 2006), also [[Transliteration|transliterated]] as '''Abu Hafs al-Urdani''', was a [[Mujahideen|Mujahid]] [[Emir]] (commander) fighting in [[Chechnya]]. He was killed in [[Dagestan]] on November 26, 2006.
'''Abu Hafs al-Urduni''' ({{langx|ar|أبو حفص الأردني}}; <!--br-->1973 – November 26, 2006), also [[Transliteration|transliterated]] as '''Abu Hafs al-Urdani''', was a [[Jordan]]ian militant fighting in [[Chechnya]]. He was killed in [[Dagestan]] on November 26, 2006.


==Biography==
==Biography==
===Early life===
===Early life===
Most of whatever little is known about al-Urduni, is known through the Russian media. It is however fairly certain that his given name is '''Farid Yusef Umeira''', that he was born in Jordan and that he participated in the [[Soviet–Afghan War]] and the [[Civil war in Tajikistan|Tajik civil war]] along with [[Ibn al-Khattab|Khattab]] and al-Walid. With the latter two he came to Chechnya in 1995 where he would remain until his death. He would also marry two Chechen women.<ref name="Jamestown">[http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=411&issue_id=3293&article_id=2369570 The Jamestown Foundation; ABU HAFS AND THE FUTURE OF ARAB FIGHTERS IN CHECHNYA] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061121010406/http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=411&issue_id=3293&article_id=2369570 |date=November 21, 2006}}</ref>
Most of whatever little is known about al-Urduni, is known through the Russian media. It is however fairly certain that his given name is '''Farid Yusef Umeira''', that he was born in Jordan and that he participated in the [[Soviet–Afghan War]] and the [[Civil war in Tajikistan|Tajik civil war]] along with [[Ibn al-Khattab|Khattab]] and [[Abu al-Walid|al-Walid]]. With the latter two he came to [[Chechnya]] in 1995 where he would remain until his death.


===Chechen Wars===
===Chechen Wars===
Line 28: Line 30:


===Alleged links to al-Qaeda===
===Alleged links to al-Qaeda===
[[File:Powell UN Iraq presentation, alleged Terrorist Network.jpg|thumb|250px|Colin Powell's 2003 UN presentation slide showing Abu Hafs and others as part of the al-Zarqawi's global terrorist network. (Subsequently, shown to be an incorrect allegation.)]]
[[File:Powell UN Iraq presentation, alleged Terrorist Network.jpg|thumb|250px|Colin Powell's 2003 UN presentation slide showing Abu Hafs and others as part of the [[al-Zarqawi]]'s global terrorist network. (Subsequently, shown to be an incorrect allegation.)]]


The name of Abu Hafs al-Urduni is often mentioned in connection with [[Al-Qaeda]]. Russian intelligence sources and media have repeatedly accused him of being al-Qaeda's [[Diplomat|emissary]] in the Caucasus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061126/56007012.html|title=Sputnik International|last=Sputnik|access-date=10 July 2016}}</ref> His name is also found in a presentation of [[Colin Powell]], then [[United States Secretary of State|U.S. Secretary of State]] at the [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]] in February 2003 just before the [[Iraq War]], where al-Urduni was stated to be part of a supposed international network headed by [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/powell-slides/40.html|title=Colin Powell slide 40|access-date=10 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/powell-slides/43.html|title=Colin Powell slide 43|access-date=10 July 2016}}</ref>
The name of Abu Hafs al-Urduni is often mentioned in connection with [[Al-Qaeda]]. Russian intelligence sources and media have repeatedly accused him of being al-Qaeda's [[Diplomat|emissary]] in the [[Caucasus]].{{cn|date=May 2023}} His name is also found in a presentation of [[Colin Powell]], then [[United States Secretary of State|U.S. Secretary of State]] at the [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]] in February 2003 just before the [[Iraq War]], where al-Urduni was stated to be part of a supposed international network headed by [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/powell-slides/40.html|title=Colin Powell slide 40|access-date=10 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/powell-slides/43.html|title=Colin Powell slide 43|access-date=10 July 2016}}</ref>


In an interview with [[Kavkaz Center]], al-Urduni once expressed his sympathy with al-Qaeda and [[Osama bin-Laden]], although he did not admit to being part of the organization. On a different occasion he condemned the [[Beslan school hostage crisis|Beslan hostage crisis]] and denied personal involvement.<ref name="Jamestown" /> Whether or not he was an agent of al-Qaeda or if there are, or have been, any formal ties between the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya and al-Qaeda remains unclear.
In an interview with [[Kavkaz Center]], al-Urduni once expressed his sympathy with [[al-Qaeda]] and [[Osama bin Laden]], although he did not admit to being part of the organization. On a different occasion he condemned the [[Beslan school hostage crisis|Beslan hostage crisis]] and denied personal involvement.<ref name="Jamestown">[http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=411&issue_id=3293&article_id=2369570 The Jamestown Foundation; ABU HAFS AND THE FUTURE OF ARAB FIGHTERS IN CHECHNYA] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061121010406/http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=411&issue_id=3293&article_id=2369570 |date=November 21, 2006}}</ref> Whether or not he was an agent of al-Qaeda or if there are, or have been, any formal ties between the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya and al-Qaeda remains unclear.


===Death===
===Death===
November 26, 2006, Abu Hafs al-Urduni was killed in a gunfight with [[Spetsnaz|Russian special forces]] in [[Khasavyurt|Khasav-Yurt]], Dagestan. Russian sources claim the fire fight lasted for four hours, and that four other rebels were killed in the encounter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061126/56004290.html|title=Sputnik International|last=Sputnik|access-date=10 July 2016}}</ref> The [[Kavkaz Center]] later confirmed al-Urduni's death, but claims only two other rebels were killed in the fighting. December 9, 2006, [[Qoqaz News]], the Chechen Mujahideen online news agency, reported that [[Muhannad (Mujahid Emir)|Muhannad]] had succeeded al-Urduni as commander of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928061242/http://siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications234006&Category=publications&Subcategory=0 Site Institute; The Commander Muhannad Assumes the Leadership of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya Following the Death of Abu Hafs al-Urduni]</ref>
November 26, 2006, Abu Hafs al-Urduni was killed in a gunfight with [[Spetsnaz|Russian special forces]] in [[Khasavyurt|Khasav-Yurt]], Dagestan. Russian sources claim the fire fight lasted for four hours, and that four other rebels were killed in the encounter.{{cn|date=May 2023}} The [[Kavkaz Center]] later confirmed al-Urduni's death, but claims only two other rebels were killed in the fighting. December 9, 2006, [[Qoqaz News]], the Chechen Mujahideen online news agency, reported that [[Muhannad (Mujahid Emir)|Muhannad]] had succeeded al-Urduni as commander of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928061242/http://siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications234006&Category=publications&Subcategory=0 Site Institute; The Commander Muhannad Assumes the Leadership of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya Following the Death of Abu Hafs al-Urduni]</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 47: Line 49:


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://www.webcitation.org/6CrGitdQZ?url=http://www.jamestown.org/programs/nca/single/?tx_ttnews%5btt_news%5d=2150&tx_ttnews%5bbackPid%5d=187&no_cache=1 The Jamestown Foundation; ABU HAFS AL-URDANI: THE QUIET MUJAHID]
* [https://archive.today/20240526100913/https://www.webcitation.org/6CrGitdQZ?url=http://www.jamestown.org/programs/nca/single/%3Ftx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2150&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=187&no_cache=1 The Jamestown Foundation; ABU HAFS AL-URDANI: THE QUIET MUJAHID]
* [https://www.webcitation.org/6CrGoKuJ0?url=http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5btt_news%5d=658 The Jamestown Foundation’s Chechnya Weekly; The Rise and Fall of Foreign Fighters in Chechnya]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101226075029/http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=658 The Jamestown Foundation’s Chechnya Weekly; The Rise and Fall of Foreign Fighters in Chechnya]
* [http://www.watchdog.cz/index.php?show=000000-000004-000001-000203&lang=1 Prague Watchdog; The radicalisation of the Chechen separatist movement: Myth or reality?]
* [http://www.watchdog.cz/index.php?show=000000-000004-000001-000203&lang=1 Prague Watchdog; The radicalisation of the Chechen separatist movement: Myth or reality?]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061021085513/http://www.globalterroralert.com/chechnya0904.pdf GlobalTerrorAlert; Communiqué from Abu Hafs al-Urdani (Jordan), Commander of the Foreign Mujahideen in Chechnya]<nowiki>(PDF)</nowiki>
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061021085513/http://www.globalterroralert.com/chechnya0904.pdf GlobalTerrorAlert; Communiqué from Abu Hafs al-Urdani (Jordan), Commander of the Foreign Mujahideen in Chechnya]<nowiki>(PDF)</nowiki>

Latest revision as of 05:05, 24 December 2024

Abu Hafs Al-Urduni
أبو حفص الأردني‎
3rd Emir of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya
In office
2004–2006
Preceded byAbu al-Walid
Succeeded byMuhannad
Personal details
Born1973
Zarqa, Jordan
Died26 November 2006
(aged 33)
Khasav-Yurt, Dagestan, Russia
Military service
Years of service1980s–2006
Battles/warsSoviet–Afghan War
Tajik Civil War
First Chechen War
Second Chechen War

Abu Hafs al-Urduni (Arabic: أبو حفص الأردني; 1973 – November 26, 2006), also transliterated as Abu Hafs al-Urdani, was a Jordanian militant fighting in Chechnya. He was killed in Dagestan on November 26, 2006.

Biography

[edit]

Early life

[edit]

Most of whatever little is known about al-Urduni, is known through the Russian media. It is however fairly certain that his given name is Farid Yusef Umeira, that he was born in Jordan and that he participated in the Soviet–Afghan War and the Tajik civil war along with Khattab and al-Walid. With the latter two he came to Chechnya in 1995 where he would remain until his death.

Chechen Wars

[edit]

In the First and Second Chechen War he fought in the battalion of Chechen Mujahideen under Khattab and, after Khattab's death, as al-Walid's deputy. After al-Walid's death in 2004, al-Urduni succeeded him as Amir of the battalion and issued a video statement about al-Walid's death, much the same way as al-Walid had done with his own predecessor, Khattab. As commander of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya, al-Urduni faced increasingly harsh conditions for himself and his unit of foreign fighters. Apart from the loss of their most prominent commanders and the relentless hunt for separatists by the Russian Federal Forces, funding for the battalion had also become a major problem due to anti-terrorism measures restricting financial transactions. Abu Hafs orchestrated and launched the 2004 Avtury raid and the 2006 Avtury ambush on Russian forces in Avtury, Chechnya. Videos of the ambushes were made and now circulate the internet.

[edit]
Colin Powell's 2003 UN presentation slide showing Abu Hafs and others as part of the al-Zarqawi's global terrorist network. (Subsequently, shown to be an incorrect allegation.)

The name of Abu Hafs al-Urduni is often mentioned in connection with Al-Qaeda. Russian intelligence sources and media have repeatedly accused him of being al-Qaeda's emissary in the Caucasus.[citation needed] His name is also found in a presentation of Colin Powell, then U.S. Secretary of State at the Security Council in February 2003 just before the Iraq War, where al-Urduni was stated to be part of a supposed international network headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.[1][2]

In an interview with Kavkaz Center, al-Urduni once expressed his sympathy with al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, although he did not admit to being part of the organization. On a different occasion he condemned the Beslan hostage crisis and denied personal involvement.[3] Whether or not he was an agent of al-Qaeda or if there are, or have been, any formal ties between the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya and al-Qaeda remains unclear.

Death

[edit]

November 26, 2006, Abu Hafs al-Urduni was killed in a gunfight with Russian special forces in Khasav-Yurt, Dagestan. Russian sources claim the fire fight lasted for four hours, and that four other rebels were killed in the encounter.[citation needed] The Kavkaz Center later confirmed al-Urduni's death, but claims only two other rebels were killed in the fighting. December 9, 2006, Qoqaz News, the Chechen Mujahideen online news agency, reported that Muhannad had succeeded al-Urduni as commander of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya.[4]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Colin Powell slide 40". Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Colin Powell slide 43". Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  3. ^ The Jamestown Foundation; ABU HAFS AND THE FUTURE OF ARAB FIGHTERS IN CHECHNYA Archived November 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Site Institute; The Commander Muhannad Assumes the Leadership of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya Following the Death of Abu Hafs al-Urduni
[edit]


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