Ibn al-Khattab
| Ibn al-Khattab ابن الخطاب |
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| Nickname(s) | Khattab |
| Born |
14 April 1959 Arar, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | 20 March 2002 (aged 42) Chechnya |
| Allegiance |
 Al-Qaeda Mujahideen of Afghanistan Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Republic of Bosnia and HerzegovinaUnited Tajik Opposition (Loyalty was to the Islamic factions in Tajikistan) |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held |
Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya Islamic Peacekeeping Brigade |
| Battles/wars |
Soviet-Afghan War Tajikistan Civil War Bosnian War First Chechen War Dagestan War Second Chechen War |
Thamir Saleh Abdullah (Arabic: ثامر صالح عبد الله ; 14 April 1959 – 20 March 2002), more commonly known as Ibn al-Khattab or Emir Khattab (also transliterated as Amir Khattab and Ameer Khattab, meaning Commander Khattab, or Leader Khattab, and also known as Habib Abdul Rahman), was a Saudi Arabian-born Chechen military leader and mujahid in the First Chechen War and the Second Chechen War.
The origins and real identity of Khattab remained a mystery to most until after his death, when his brother gave an interview to the press. He died on 20 March 2002 following exposure to a poison letter delivered via a courier who had been recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service.
Khattab was born in Arar, Saudi Arabia. Afghan Mujahideen claimed that during the Soviet–Afghan War, Khattab was known as a Saudi with a Circassian background.
At the age of 18, Khattab left Saudi Arabia to participate in the fight against the Soviet Union during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. During this time, he permanently incapacitated his right hand and lost several fingers after an accident with improvised explosives. The injury was treated with honey by Khattab on himself.
Al-Khattab, while leader of Islamic International Brigade, publicly admitted that he spent the period between 1989 and 1994 in Afghanistan and that he had met Osama Bin Laden. In March 1994, Khattab arrived in Afghanistan and toured fighter training camps in Khost province. He returned to Afghanistan with the first group of Chechen militants in May 1994. Khattab underwent training in Afghanistan and had close connections with Al-Qaida. Several hundred Chechens eventually trained in Al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan.
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Wikipedia