Abu al-Walid
Abu al-Walid (ابو الوليد) (also transliterated as Abu al-Waleed and also called Abu al-Walid al-Ghamdi or simply Abu Walid) (1967 – 16 April 2004), was a Saudi Arabian of the Ghamd tribe who fought as a "mujahid" volunteer in Central Asia, the Balkans, and the North Caucasus. He was killed in April 2004 in Chechnya by the Russian federal forces.
Al-Walid was one of the most prominent Arabs fighting in Chechnya. In 2002 he took over as Emir (commander) of an autonomous unit, composed mostly of non-Chechen mujahideen, following the death of Ibn al-Khattab on 20 March 2002.
Abu al-Walid was accused by Russians of terrorist attacks on civilians, and alleged to be an agent of Saudi intelligence, the Muslim Brotherhood, or Bin Laden's al-Qaeda. He never responded to the charges, but condemned abuses by Russian forces in Chechnya.
Identity
During his lifetime, al-Walid stayed out of the spotlight. His predecessor, Ibn al-Khattab (more commonly known as Khattab), was known to have a personal camera crew of two who followed him into combat. Speculation arose about al-Walid's identity, whereabouts and actions, and occasionally there were rumours of his death. A persistent rumour was that he had drowned in June 2002, carried off on his horse after trying to ford a river.Russian officials announced his death at least seven times. and at one point, even his very existence was deemed doubtful.
