14:46, 19 April 2004

Abu al-Walid's brother confirms his death

Al-Walid's bother, Bender al-Gamdi, said in his interview with the Al Hayat newspaper published today that he had been informed of the death of his brother in Chechnya. According to him, he received this information from a Chechen, a brother of Abu al-Walid's wife. "He [al-Walid] wanted to become a Shakhid, and he did it," Bender said. He pointed that he had not had contacts with his brother for two years already but had received reports about his death several times. Al-Walid was 34, he originated from a poor family from a Saudi town, Bender said. In the late 1980s, al-Walid went to war to Afghanistan, and six years ago he edged through Tajikistan to Chechnya. In May 2002, after the killing of Khattab, he started commanding foreign mercenaries in Chechnya. Al-Walid was married to a Chechen, who gave birth to his two sons, Omar and Salakhuddin.

Meanwhile, representatives of the regional operations headquarters on the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus have announced they have no information on the elimination of al-Walid so far.

Editors note: See also the article "Chechen prosecutor wants hard evidence of al-Walid's killing".

Source: RIA Novosti