Abu Hamza Rabia ( ; c. 1960 – November 30, 2005) was an Egyptian member of
al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
, described in news accounts as a high-ranking leader within the organization's hierarchy. His death in a surprise
CIA drone attack was widely reported by media outlets around the world.
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According to American intelligence officials, Rabia was al-Qaeda's third in command. Few details have been made available about his background, although
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
reports confirmed his Egyptian origins and indicated that he was in his thirties.
[ He and four other men, two of them also Arabs, were killed in the village of Asoray, near ]Miranshah
Mīrānshāh (Pashto and ur, ) or Mīrāmshāh () is a small town that is the administrative headquarters of North Waziristan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Miranshah lies on the banks of the Tochi River in a wide valley surr ...
, the capital of North Waziristan
North Waziristan District ( ps, شمالي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanist ...
.[ His death stirred controversy because it was Pakistani policy that US forces were not allowed in the country.][
]
Initially US and Pakistani authorities denied that the surprise airstrike was launched from a US Predator drone
The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ( ...
.
In a subsequent development, the murder of local journalist Hayatullah Khan, whose body was found months after his disappearance, was tied to his investigation into Rabia's death.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabia, Abu Hamza
1960s births
2005 deaths
Assassinated al-Qaeda leaders
Egyptian al-Qaeda members
Year of birth missing
Deaths by United States drone strikes in Pakistan
Place of birth missing
Egyptian expatriates in Pakistan