1. Abu al-Walid was killed in April 2004 in Chechnya by the Russian federal forces.
20 Facts About Abu al-Walid
1. 2.
Abu al-Walid was accused by the Russians of terrorist attacks on civilians, and alleged to be an agent of Saudi intelligence, the Muslim Brotherhood, or Bin Laden's al-Qaeda.
3.
Abu al-Walid never responded or admitted to any of the accusations, but condemned abuses by Russian forces in Chechnya.
4.
Abu al-Walid was born into a large family as one of eleven sons.
5.
Abu al-Walid's brothers claimed that in his youth, al-Walid had enjoyed acting, reading religious books and studying the Quran.
6.
In 1986, when he was 19 years old, Abu al-Walid obtained his parents' permission to participate in jihad in Afghanistan.
7.
Abu al-Walid participated in the numerous raids and ambushes that were executed by the IIB, including the April 1996 Shatoy ambush, in which they attacked and destroyed a large Russian armoured column.
8.
On 22 December 1997 Abu al-Walid participated in a surprise attack on the base of the 136th Armoured Brigade of the Russian Army, stationed in Buynaksk, Dagestan.
9.
Analysts believe that after al-Medani's death, Abu al-Walid was promoted to the position of first deputy.
10.
Abu al-Walid's forces engaged and surrounded an entire company of the VDV 76th Guards Air Assault Division from Pskov.
11.
On 9 April 2002, Abu al-Walid announced that his forces had shot down the Mil Mi-24 'Hind' gunship and taken its three-man crew prisoner.
12.
Abu al-Walid released the serial number of the helicopter and detailed information about the crew members.
13.
Abu al-Walid said that the information about Abu Al-Walid's being betrayed were wrong and that his brother was shot in a fight with the Russian forces.
14.
Abu al-Walid's will was not to be filmed after his death.
15.
Abu al-Walid never responded to such allegations, and never claimed responsibility for any of these terrorist attacks.
16.
Abu al-Walid never admitted to being a member of al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, or Saudi Intelligence.
17.
Abu al-Walid encouraged the Iraqi insurgents to carry out suicide operations.
18.
Abu al-Walid was quoted as saying; "According to [my] experience in the Caucasus, such operations will have an effect on American and British troops".
19.
On 13 March 2004, one day before the Russian presidential election, Abu al-Walid released another video statement broadcast by Al-Jazeera.
20.
Abu al-Walid commented on the Russian strategy of dropping mines in the forested areas from which the Chechen insurgents are carrying out their guerrilla war against the Federal Armed Forces and their Chechen collaborators.