Abu al-Walid
| Abu al-Walid ابو الوليد الغامدي |
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| 2nd Emir of the Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya | |
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In office 2002–2004 |
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| Preceded by | Ibn al-Khattab |
| Succeeded by | Abu Hafs al-Urduni |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1967 al Bahah Region, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | 16 April 2004 Tsa-Vedeno, Chechnya, Russia |
| Religion | Islam |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars |
Soviet war in Afghanistan Bosnian War Tajik Civil War First Chechen War Second Chechen War |
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.
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.
On 23 June 2002, his family gave an interview to the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan, telling much about his background. They said his full given name was Abd Al-Aziz Bin Ali Bin Said Al Said Al-Ghamdi.
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