Samir Saleh Abdullah Al-Suwailem (Arabic: سامر صالح عبد الله السويلم) (April 14, 1969 – March 20, 2002), more commonly known as 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 Muslim guerilla fighter and financier working with Chechen Mujahideen in the First Chechen War and the Second Chechen War.
The origins and real identity of Khatta...
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Samir Saleh Abdullah Al-Suwailem (Arabic: سامر صالح عبد الله السويلم) (April 14, 1969 – March 20, 2002), more commonly known as 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 Muslim guerilla fighter and financier working with Chechen Mujahideen 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. Khattab was born in Saudi Arabia to an Arab father and a Circassian mother.
At the age of 16, Khattab left Saudi Arabia to participate in the fight against the Soviet Union during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. According to Khattab, during the anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan he met another Arab volunteer named Osama bin Laden, but later they lost contact. During this time, he permanently incapacitated his right hand and lost several...
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