Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi is a leading member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group and a commander of the 2011 Libyan civil war anti-Gaddafi forces.[1]

Biography

According to The Wall Street Journal, al-Hasidi spent five years in an Afghan training camp.[2] In 2002, al-Hasidi was captured in Peshwar, Pakistan, and was later handed to US forces. He was subsequently held in Libya 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.[3][4] In the same interview, al-Hasidi said that his fighters had ties with the militant Islamist al-Qaeda organisation.[3][4] During the Libyan civil war, al-Hasidi commanded the Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade[1] which consisted of 300 recruits from Derna, Libya.[2]

Politics

In 2012, al-Hasidi ran for local office in Derna.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Abigail Hauslohner (March 30, 2012). "With Libya's Ascendant Islamists: 'Don't Get the Wrong Idea'". Time. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Charles Levison (April 2, 2011). "Ex-Mujahedeen Help Lead Libyan Rebels". The Wall Street Journal. Two former Afghan Mujahedeen and a six-year detainee at Guantanamo Bay have stepped to the fore of this city's military campaign, training new recruits for the front and to protect the city from infiltrators loyal to Col. Moammar Gadhafi.
  3. 1 2 Swami, Praveen (25 Mar 2011). "Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  4. 1 2 Roberto Bongiorn (March 22, 2011). "Noi ribelli, islamici e tolleranti". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). (translation)
  5. ↑ David D. Kirkpatrick (June 23, 2012). "Libya Democracy Clashes With Fervor for Jihad". The New York Times.

Sources

Interviews


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