Abu Khayr al-Masri

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Ahmad Hasan Abu al-Khayr al-Masri
أحمد حسن أبو الخير المصري
Deputy Emir of Al-Qaeda
In office
2015 – 26 February 2017
Preceded byNasir al-Wuhayshi
Succeeded byAbdullah Ahmed Abdullah
Personal details
Born
Abdullah Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Rajab Abd al-Rahman

(1957-11-03)3 November 1957
Kafr el-Sheikh, Egypt
Died26 February 2017(2017-02-26) (aged 59)[1]
Al-Mastumah, Idlib Governorate, Syria[2]
OccupationDeputy leader of al-Qaeda
Military service
Allegiance Al-Qaeda (2011–February 2017)

Abdullah Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Rajab Abd al-Rahman (

Arabic: أحمد حسن أبو الخير المصري), (3 November 1957 – 26 February 2017) was an Egyptian al-Qaeda leader who has been described as the general deputy to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.[3][4][5]

History

Al-Masri was a member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad alongside Ayman al-Zawahiri and fled the country in the mid-1980s along with many other Islamic militants. He headed al-Qaeda's political committee and was a member of the Shura Council. He has been described as operating as a "trusted lieutenant" of the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri with whom al-Masri worked in Sudan and Afghanistan.[6]

Arrest

He left

Sistan and Baluchestan Province in April 2003.[7] Also arrested alongside him were other senior al-Qaeda leaders including Saif al-Adel, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah and Sulaiman Abu Ghaith. According to a statement that Sulaiman Abu Ghaith gave to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, four al-Qaeda leaders were first jailed in an Iranian intelligence building in Tehran for approximately one year and eight months.[8]

Release by Iran

In September 2015 it was reported that Abu Khayr al-Masri was released by Iran in March 2015 together with other al-Qaeda leaders including Saif al-Adel and Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah in a prisoner exchange.[9] He was reported to have then traveled to Syria with three men to join the Al-Nusra Front branch of al-Qaeda.[6]

Syria

On 28 July 2016, the Al-Minaret al-Bayda media wing of the

Jabhat al-Nusra released an audio message from him claiming that the Nusra front had cut all connections with al-Qaeda and renamed it the Fateh al-Sham Front.[6]

Death

Reports surfaced on 26 February 2017 that al-Masri had been killed in a U.S. airstrike in his car in Al-Mastumah in the Syrian province of Idlib.[10] There was no immediate official confirmation from either the United States or al-Qaeda.[6][11] Guardian journalists Tom McCarthy and Martin Chulov later reported that jihadist leaders confirmed that al-Masri was killed in the drone strike.[12] The airstrike also killed another Tahrir al-Sham militant traveling in the car.[2][1] A US intelligence official and al-Qaeda later confirmed that al-Masri had been killed in the strike, which used a variant of the AGM-114 Hellfire missile.[13][14][15][16] This weapon, known as the AGM-114 R9X, lacks an explosive warhead. Instead, it deploys six blades just before impact so it may kill its target while reducing the likelihood of harm to people nearby.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b "Deputy al Qaeda leader killed In Syria". CNN. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b "2 Tahrir al-Sham fighters killed by US-led coalition drone near Idlib". Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Treasury Designates Seven Al Qaida Associates". Treasury.gov. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  4. ^ Rohan Gunaratna and Aviv Oreg, The Global Jihad Movement (London 2015) p 72
  5. ^ Rohan Gunaratna and Aviv Oreg, The Global Jihad Movement (London 2015) p 63
  6. ^ a b c d Spencer, Richard (27 February 2017). "Al-Qaida's deputy leader 'killed in drone strike'". The Times. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  7. S2CID 145417861
    . Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  8. ^ Sulayman Abu Ghayth (1 March 2013). "File 415A-NY-307616" (PDF). Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  9. ^ Rukmini Callimachi; Eric Schmitt (17 September 2015). "Iran Released Top Members of Al Qaeda in a Trade". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  10. ^ "Al-Qaeda's deputy leader 'killed in Syria'". Sky News Australia. 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  11. ^ "Syria al-Qaeda leader 'targeted in strike on car'". BBC. 27 February 2017.
  12. ^ Chulov, Martin; McCarthy, Tom (27 February 2017). "US drone strike in Syria kills top al-Qaida leader, jihadis say". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Osama's son-in-law killed by CIA drone strike: US official". News18. Reuters. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  14. ^ Ellen Francis (2 March 2017). "Al Qaeda confirms leader killed by drone strike in Syria". Reuters. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Al Qaeda eulogizes Egyptian leader killed in Idlib, Syria | FDD's Long War Journal". 5 March 2017.
  16. ^ Gordon Lubold and Warren P. Strobel (9 May 2019). "Secret U.S. Missile Aims to Kill Only Terrorists, Not Nearby Civilians". Wall Street Journal.
  17. ^ "AGM-114 R9X Hellfire Blade Bomb". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
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