Homeland Security


Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi

Al-Qaeda Senior Operative

Detained3

Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi

Details
ImportanceVery High
Location of DetentionU.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba3
Capturing AuthorityCIA
Date of CaptureFall 20064
AffiliationAl-Qaeda2
RoleSenior Operative2
SupervisorOsama bin Laden
AffiliationAl-Qaeda in Iraq2
AffiliationMujahideen Shura Council1,3
AffiliationAl-Qaeda Military Committee3
Full Given NameNashwan Abdulrazaq Abdulbaqi
NationalityIraqi1
Alias(es)Abu Abdallah
Alternate Spelling(s)Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, Al-Hadi al-Iraqi, 'Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, Nashwan 'Abd al-Razzaq 'Abd al-Baqi
Possibly the same asAbd al-Hadi al-Iraqi
Date of Birth19613
Place of BirthMosul, Iraq1,3
Height5-11
Weight220 lbs
GenderMale
DescriptionEyes: Hazel. Hair: Brown. Complexion: Fair. Wears a mustache and long beard.
HistoryVeteran of Afghanistan-Soviet civil war (1980-1989)2
HistoryAttended training camp in postwar Afghanistan (1990-2001)
 
 
Narrative and Notes
 
Reliable
  • Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi was one of al-Qaida's most senior operatives and paramilitary commanders at the time of his capture in Fall 2006. He had been in direct communication with both Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri; at one point, he served as al-Zawahiri's caretaker.
  • He was in Afghanistan during the late 1990s. He commanded several training camps and functioned as the organization's "internal operations chief."
  • He commanded cross-border raids into Afghanistan (presumably from Pakistan) between 2002 and 2004. He also oversaw plots to assassinate Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf and an undisclosed U.N. official.
  • In particular, he led a rocket attack against U.S. forces in Afghanistan in Fall 2003.
  • In recent years, he has served as a senior deputy of Osama bin Laden monitoring events in Iraq; he has helped communicate between bin Laden and al-Qaeda in Iraq.
  • He also met with al-Qaeda operatives in Iran to exhort them to do more in Iraq and in Iran.
  • He served as a major in Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein before going to fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
  • Regarded as skilled, intelligent and respected al-Qaeda commander.
  • He was captured at an undisclosed location in 2006 while trying to reach Iraq. He was in CIA custody until he was turned over to the U.S. military and taken to Guantamamo Bay, Cuba, in April 2007.
  • The U.S. government offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to his capture.2,3,4
    •  
     
    Sources
    1 U.S. Central Command press release. 'Iraqi Government releases '41 Most Wanted' list.' July 3, 2006.
    2 Rewards for Justice web site, viewed Jan. 22, 2007.
    3 U.S. Defense Department press release and bio of al-Iraqi, released April 27, 2007.
    4 Mark Mazzetti and David Cloud. "CIA Held Qaeda Leader in Secret Jail for Months." The New York Times: April 27, 2007.
    Photo: Rewards for Justice
     
     
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