A Study of "Martyrs in a Time of Alienation" (XVI)

A Study of "Martyrs in a Time of Alienation"
Part XVI

In January 2008, Al-Fajr Media Center, an al-Qaida affiliated media group, released an extensive issue in its series, "Biographies of the Martyrs in the Land of Khorasan."  The book -- in the summary translation used here -- consists of 120 brief biographies of men who died in the insurgency against Coalition forces and regional governments.  The following is a brief analysis (in green) of the book's content based on a summary translation available through WNC (Dialog), see the "Introduction" post for record information.

Previous posts can be found here.  This is Part XVI.

Abd−al−Aziz al−Uzbiki: His name was Amid Asta from Uzbekistan. He joined jihad in Tajikistan where he received his first military training and took part in attacks against Kyrgyz forces. He traveled to Afghanistan where he continued his jihad until he was killed in Shahi−Kot.

Another example of the significant role of 90s-era Tajikistan to AQ’s presence in Afghanistan.

Abd−al−Rahman al−Aswad al−Libi: He participated in the Afghan war against the Soviet invasion and fought in Bosnia. He returned to Afghanistan after the Taliban took power. He remained there until the fall of the Taliban. He was killed in Peshawar by Pakistani forces.

Another North African, not much to analyze.

Abdallah al−Libi: His name was Sami (last name not provided) from Libya. He joined the Libyan Group in Afghanistan several months before September 11 attack in the US. He fled to Khost region with Abu−al−Layth al−Libi and was later killed in an air raid.

It is interesting to note how many bio subjects are connected to al-Libi.

Abu−Abdallah al−Turkistani: His name was Shawkat (last name not provided) from Kazakhstan. He traveled to Afghanistan and was later given an assignment in Kazakhstan. He returned to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban where he was killed in an operation by Pakistan forces.

Who assigned him to Kazakhstan and what he was assigned to do remains a mystery, but it suggests that AQ was interested in building networks of support throughout Central Asia.

Abdallah al−Shami: His name was Ziyad al−Shayib from Syria. He traveled to Kandahar, Afghanistan where he received his military training. He was killed in a bombing in eastern Afghanistan.

Not enough information to analyze this bio.

Abdallah al−Mu'athin al−Uzbaki: Born in Afghanistan, Abdallah al−Uzbaki left Uzbekistan for Tajikistan where he received his military training with the Uzbek jihadist group before he continued to Afghanistan. He fled to Shahi−Kot after the fall of the Taliban and was later killed in an operation in eastern Afghanistan.

This bio hints at the strategic significance of the 90s-era jihad in Tajikistan.  It’s an area and era of violent jihad that has received little analytical attention.

Abdallah Haydarah: His name was Abd−al−Rahman al−Husaynan from Saudi Arabia. He served in the Saudi Armed forces and traveled to Afghanistan after September 11 attacks in the US. He moved to eastern Afghanistan where he was later killed.

Like I’ve said in previous posts, the 9-11 attacks played a significant role in drawing new recruits into the group.

Abu−Abdallah al−Sumali: Born in Somalia, he participated in jihad against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and was active in training and financing jihad activities in Somalia. After his name appeared on the FBI wanted list, he fled Sweden where his family lived to Somalia and then to Afghanistan where he was killed.

An interesting bio highlighting the Western character of and the deep connection to AQ for Somalia’s Salafist-Jihadist. It suggests that many members of the Somalian AQ cadre could jump between Western diaspora communities and regions of violent jihad.