Atiyah Abd al-Rahman
Encyclopedia
Atiyah Abd Al Rahman was reported by the US State Department
to be a senior member of al-Qaeda
and a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
and Ansar al-Sunna. His name may be rendered in English as Atiyah Abdur-rahman or Atiyah Abdul-Rahman or in other ways.
He was killed in Pakistan
by a CIA
predator drone strike on August 22, 2011.
Atiyah Abd Al Rahman is thought
to be the "Atiyah" who wrote a commanding letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
in December 2005.
The State Department announcement said that Abd Al Rahman:
The State Department's Rewards for Justice offered up to US$1 million for information about him. However, the program no longer has him listed as a wanted terrorist.
With the death of Osama bin Laden
in May of 2011, amidst confusion, including over who would succeed bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri, he was eventually designated as Al Qaeda's second in command.
Atiyah had volunteered to travel to Afghanistan to fight against its Soviet occupiers in the 1980s, while he was still a teenager.
He was reported to have met and served under Osama bin Laden
at that time. The Washington Post reported that another prominent Libyan exile, Noman Benotman
, he was sent to Algeria
in the 1990s to serve as an envoy to a group they said was then known as the Armed Islamic Group
(GIA). He told the Washington Post that the GIA was suspicious of him, held him captive for months, and were considering killing him. He escaped with other captives, after five months of captivity, and, according to Benotman, "He had a very bad experience, and I think is still having nightmares about it."
According to reports by a senior Obama administration official, he was killed by a CIA drone
on August 22, 2011.
Al-Rahman was previously reported dead in October 2010.
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
to be a senior member of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
Libyan Islamic Movement formerly known as The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group also known as Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya is a group active in Libya which played a key role in deposing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, allying itself with the National Transitional Council.However...
and Ansar al-Sunna. His name may be rendered in English as Atiyah Abdur-rahman or Atiyah Abdul-Rahman or in other ways.
He was killed in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
by a CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
predator drone strike on August 22, 2011.
Atiyah Abd Al Rahman is thought
to be the "Atiyah" who wrote a commanding letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
in December 2005.
The State Department announcement said that Abd Al Rahman:
- Is a LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n in his early 40s (which puts his date of birth roughly at 1970). - Is based in IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, representing al-Qaeda to other Islamist terrorist groups. - Was appointed to that role by Osama bin LadenOsama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
. - Met bin Laden while still in his teens.
- Fled the Republic of the CongoRepublic of the CongoThe Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
alongside bin Laden as recently as 2001.
The State Department's Rewards for Justice offered up to US$1 million for information about him. However, the program no longer has him listed as a wanted terrorist.
With the death of Osama bin Laden
Death of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....
in May of 2011, amidst confusion, including over who would succeed bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri, he was eventually designated as Al Qaeda's second in command.
Atiyah had volunteered to travel to Afghanistan to fight against its Soviet occupiers in the 1980s, while he was still a teenager.
He was reported to have met and served under Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
at that time. The Washington Post reported that another prominent Libyan exile, Noman Benotman
Noman Benotman
Noman Benotman was the former head of the Libyan militant organization known as the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. After the September 11th attacks he resigned his position and now lives in London. Benotman has been active in reforming his former terrorist comrades in prison, attempting to...
, he was sent to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
in the 1990s to serve as an envoy to a group they said was then known as the Armed Islamic Group
Armed Islamic Group
The Armed Islamic Group is an Islamist organisation that wants to overthrow the Algerian government and replace it with an Islamic state...
(GIA). He told the Washington Post that the GIA was suspicious of him, held him captive for months, and were considering killing him. He escaped with other captives, after five months of captivity, and, according to Benotman, "He had a very bad experience, and I think is still having nightmares about it."
According to reports by a senior Obama administration official, he was killed by a CIA drone
Drone attacks in Pakistan
The United States government, led by the Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division, has made a series of attacks on targets in northwest Pakistan since 2004 using drones . These attacks are part of the US' War on Terrorism campaign, seeking to defeat Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants...
on August 22, 2011.
Al-Rahman was previously reported dead in October 2010.