Nabil Sahraoui (26 September 1969 – 20 June 2004), alias Mustapha Abou Ibrahim, was an Algerian Islamist militant, and the head of the radical ''Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat'' (GSPC, later renamed

Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في بلاد المغرب الإسلامي, Tanẓīm al-Qā'idah fī Bilād al-Maghrib al-Islāmī), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims t ...

) from August 2003 until his death the following year.

Early life

Sahraoui was born in

Batna, Algeria Batna ( ar, باتنة, Latn, ar, Bātnah) is the main city and commune of Batna Province, Algeria. With a population of 290,645 (2008 census) it is the fifth largest city in Algeria. It is also one of the principal cities of the Chaoui area and ...

, on 26 September 1966.

GSPC

In 2003, Sahraoui replaced Hassan Hattab as the leader of the GSPC, since the latter was removed from the post due to his view that reconciliation with the government should be encouraged. In October 2003, Sahraoui pledged allegiance as GSPC leader to both

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...

Al Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

organization and to the Taliban leader Mohammed Omar.

Death

Sahraoui was killed in a shootout with the

Algerian army french: Armée nationale populaire , image = ANP.png , alt = , caption = People's National Army emblem , image2 = , alt2 = , caption2 = , motto = ...

in the Kabylie region on 20 June 2004 at age 34. His top aides were also killed in the military sweep. Sahraoui was replaced as head of the GSPC by

Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud Abdelmalek Droukdel ( ar, عبد المالك درودكال; 20 April 1970 – 3 June 2020), also known by his alias as Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud ( ar, أبو مصعب عبد الودود), was the emir, or leader, of the Algerian Islamic militan ...

over the objections of former leader Hassan Hattab.

Notes

1966 births 2004 deaths Islam in Algeria Terrorism in Algeria Islamic terrorism in Algeria Algerian al-Qaeda members Leaders of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Deaths by firearm in Algeria People from Batna, Algeria Leaders of Islamic terror groups Salafi jihadists 21st-century Algerian people {{Poli-bio-stub