Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi is a leading member of the

Libyan Islamic Fighting Group The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), also known as ''Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya'' ( ar, الجماعة الإسلامية المقاتلة بليبيا), was an armed Islamist group. Militants participated in the 2011 Lib ...

and a commander of the 2011

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

anti-Gaddafi forces.

Biography

According to ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', al-Hasidi spent five years in an Afghan training camp. In 2002, al-Hasidi was captured in

Peshwar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

, and was later handed to US forces. He was subsequently held in

before his release in 2008. In March 2011, as reported by the Italian newspaper '' Il Sole 24 Ore'', al-Hasidi stated that he had fought against "the foreign invasion" of Afghanistan.
translation
In the same interview, al-Hasidi said that his fighters had ties with the militant Islamist al-Qaeda organisation. During the Libyan civil war, al-Hasidi commanded the

Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade The Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade was an Islamist militia that advocated for the implementation of Sharia law within Derna, Libya. The group was known for enforcing strict social rules in the city. Background The Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade was create ...

which consisted of 300 recruits from Derna, Libya.

Politics

In 2012, al-Hasidi ran for local office in Derna.

References

Sources

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Interviews

* * * Living people Libyan Islamists People of the First Libyan Civil War 1996 births Libyan expatriates in Pakistan {{Islam-bio-stub