Abu Dua
Encyclopedia
Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri (ابراهيم عواد ابراهيم علي البدري), more commonly known as Abu Dua, and also known as Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai, Dr. Ibrahim, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq
(AQI), which is the Iraqi
division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda
.
On 4 October 2011, the US State Department
marked Dua as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist
while announcing a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture or death. Only Ayman al-Zawahiri
, chief of the global al-Qaeda organization, merits a larger reward at $25 million.
in Baghdad
that killed prominent Sunni
lawmaker Khalid al-Fahdawi.
Following the 2 May 2011 US commando raid
that killed al-Qaeda supreme leader Osama bin Laden
in Abbottabad
, Pakistan
, Dua released a statement eulogizing bin Laden and threatened violent retaliation for his death. On 5 May 2011, he claimed responsibility for an attack in Hilla that killed 24 policemen and wounded 72 others. Between March and April 2011, AQI claimed 23 other attacks south of Baghdad, all of which are alleged to have been carried out under Dua's command.
On 15 August 2011, a wave of AQI suicide attacks beginning in Mosul
resulted in 70 deaths. Shortly thereafter, AQI pledged on its website to carry out 100 attacks across Iraq in retaliation for bin Laden's death. The statement claimed the campaign would feature various methods of attack including raids, suicide attacks, roadside bombs and small arms attacks in all cities and rural areas across the country.
near the Syrian
border in an attempt to kill Dua. At the time, he was identified as a "senior al-Qaeda in Iraq figure" who was part of a network of AQI operatives based in a string of towns along the Syrian border northwest of Baghdad; Dua's personal role was that of a facilitator in the smuggling of Syrian and Saudi Arabian
militants into Iraq. Coalition intelligence, in stating that Dua was the "emir
of Rawa," also said that he was responsible for running Taliban-like Islamic courts
in order to terrorize the local population, claiming "Dua held religious courts to try local citizens charged with supporting the Iraqi government and coalition forces. He would kidnap individuals or entire families, accuse them, pronounce sentence and then publicly execute them."
Although intelligence indicated that he was inside the house at the time of the strike, his body was never recovered and he eventually became overall leader of AQI in 2011.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a popular name for the Iraqi division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda. It is recognized as a part of the greater Iraqi insurgency....
(AQI), which is the Iraqi
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
.
On 4 October 2011, the US State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
marked Dua as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist
Specially Designated Global Terrorist
Specially Designated Global Terrorist is a designation authorized under U.S. Executive Order 13224 , among other executive orders, and Title 31, Parts 595, 596, and 597 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, among other U.S. laws and regulations. SDGT designations are administered and enforced...
while announcing a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture or death. Only Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri is an Egyptian physician, Islamic theologian and current leader of al-Qaeda. He was previously the second and last "emir" of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, having succeeded Abbud al-Zumar in the latter role when Egyptian authorities sentenced al-Zumar to life...
, chief of the global al-Qaeda organization, merits a larger reward at $25 million.
Militant Activity
Abu Dua is in charge of running all AQI activity in Iraq, and is responsible for managing and directing large-scale operations such as the 28 August 2011 attack on the Umm al-Qura mosqueUmm al-Qura Mosque
The Umm al-Qura mosque in Baghdad is the city's largest place of worship for Sunni Muslims. Originally called the Umm al-Ma'arik mosque, it was designed to commemorate Saddam Hussein's 'victory' in the 1991 Gulf War and was intended to serve as a personal tribute to Saddam himself...
in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
that killed prominent Sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
lawmaker Khalid al-Fahdawi.
Following the 2 May 2011 US commando raid
Death of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....
that killed al-Qaeda supreme leader Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
in Abbottabad
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Dua released a statement eulogizing bin Laden and threatened violent retaliation for his death. On 5 May 2011, he claimed responsibility for an attack in Hilla that killed 24 policemen and wounded 72 others. Between March and April 2011, AQI claimed 23 other attacks south of Baghdad, all of which are alleged to have been carried out under Dua's command.
On 15 August 2011, a wave of AQI suicide attacks beginning in Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
resulted in 70 deaths. Shortly thereafter, AQI pledged on its website to carry out 100 attacks across Iraq in retaliation for bin Laden's death. The statement claimed the campaign would feature various methods of attack including raids, suicide attacks, roadside bombs and small arms attacks in all cities and rural areas across the country.
Assassination Attempt
On 26 October 2005, a US warplane struck a suspected insurgent safehouseSafe house
In the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a safe house is a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger...
near the Syrian
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
border in an attempt to kill Dua. At the time, he was identified as a "senior al-Qaeda in Iraq figure" who was part of a network of AQI operatives based in a string of towns along the Syrian border northwest of Baghdad; Dua's personal role was that of a facilitator in the smuggling of Syrian and Saudi Arabian
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
militants into Iraq. Coalition intelligence, in stating that Dua was the "emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
of Rawa," also said that he was responsible for running Taliban-like Islamic courts
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
in order to terrorize the local population, claiming "Dua held religious courts to try local citizens charged with supporting the Iraqi government and coalition forces. He would kidnap individuals or entire families, accuse them, pronounce sentence and then publicly execute them."
Although intelligence indicated that he was inside the house at the time of the strike, his body was never recovered and he eventually became overall leader of AQI in 2011.