Waleed Jassem al-Alwani (1972 – 27 December 2015), also known by the nom de guerre Abu Ahmad al-Alwani, was a senior commander in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and a prominent member of its military council.[2][3] He was a former member of the Iraqi Army under Saddam Hussein.[2]
Reports circulated in February 2015 in British tabloids that Al-Alwani was killed in an air strike. However, his death was never confirmed by the U.S. or the Islamic State and later reports named Alwani as a "very senior officer" in ISIS.[4][5]
On 27 December 2015, after clearing IS from large parts of the city, the Iraqi Interior Ministry claimed that it had killed al-Alwani. A well-placed observer, claimed in early 2016 that al-Alwani was indeed dead, and had been replaced by Abu Umar al Hadithi, about whom nothing is known.[6]
References
- ^ "Top ISIS commanders killed in Ramadi: who were they?". 29 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Exclusive: Top ISIS leaders revealed". Al Arabiya. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ "The Islamic State" (PDF). Soufan Group. November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- ^ "Most of Islamic State's leaders were officers in Saddam Hussein's Iraq". Washington Post.
- ^ "The six individuals who have been at the helm of the terror group are from Iraq, the Iraqi interior ministry told Al Arabiya News Channel. (Al Arabiya) Exclusive: Top ISIS leaders revealed". 13 February 2014.
- ^ Orton, Kyle. "Profles of Islamic State Leaders" (PDF).