Abu Ubaidah Youssef al-Annabi ( ar, أبو عبيدة يوسف العنابي) is an Algerian Islamist jihadi militant who is the current emir, or leader, of the Algerian
Islamic militant group
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), formerly the
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). In November 2020, he was named emir, replacing
Abdelmalek Droukdel who was killed during a French special operation during the
Battle of Talahandak
The Battle of Talahandak took place on 3 June 2020 during the Mali War. It resulted in the death of Abdelmalek Droukdel, the leader of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Background
On 1 June 2020, with aid from US intelligence, French s ...
.
The U.S.
Rewards for Justice Program The Rewards for Justice Program (RFJ) is the counterterrorism and counterintelligence platform administered by the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service agency. The Rewards For Justice program is seeking information leading to the ...
is offering up to $7 million in exchange for information leading to al-Annabi's apprehension.
Biography
Youssef al-Annabi was born in
Annaba,
Algeria. After studying economics at the
University of Constantine, he became an active militant of the
Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), an Islamist party created in 1989. A year after the end of the electoral process in January 1992, Youssef al-Annabi, freshly graduated, joined the ranks of the Islamic Salvation Army (AIS) to fight in the
Algerian Civil War
The Algerian Civil War ( ar, rtl=yes, الْحَرْبُ الْأَهْلِيَّةُ الجَزَائِرِيَّةُ, al-Ḥarb al-ʾAhlīyah al-Jazāʾirīyah) was a civil war in Algeria fought between the Algerian government and various Is ...
, then those of the
GIA where he met
Abdelmalek Droukdel in 1996.
He rose in rank by participating in the creation of the
GSPC in 1998. In November 2009, Youssef narrowly escaped death when he fell into an ambush by the Algerian army in the maquis of Imsouhel, in the wilaya of
Tizi Ouzou.
After the death of
Abdelmalek Droukdel, AQIM announced on November 21, 2020 that Abu Ubaidah Youssef al-Annabi had been appointed to succeed him.
On 29 September 2015, the
U.S. State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
designated al-Annabi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224.
See also
*
List of fugitives from justice who disappeared
This is a list of fugitives from justice, notable people who disappeared or evaded capture while being sought by law enforcement agencies in connection with a crime, and who are currently sought or were sought for the duration of their presume ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Annabi, Abu Ubaidah Youssef
1969 births
Living people
People from Annaba
Algerian al-Qaeda members
Al-Qaeda leaders
Leaders of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Leaders of Islamic terror groups
Salafi jihadists
Fugitives wanted by Algeria
Fugitives wanted by the United States
Fugitives wanted on terrorism charges
Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government
20th-century Algerian people
21st-century Algerian people