Talha al-Libi

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Talha al-Libi
Birth nameAbderrahmane Talha
Born1980s
AllegianceFlag of Jihad.svg GSPC (2006-2007)
Islamic State flag.svg AQIM (2007-present)
Islamic State flag.svg JNIM (2017-present)
Service / branchKatiba Tarik ibn Zayed (2006-2012)
Katiba al-Furqan (2013-2020)
RankEmir of Katiba al-Furqan (2013-2020)
Emir of Timbuktu (2020-present)
Battles / wars Insurgency in the Sahel
Tuareg rebellion (2007-2009)

Mali War

Abderrahmane Talha, also known as Abou Talha al-Mauritani or Talha al-Libi, is a Mauritanian jihadist who is the wali of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin's territory in Tombouctou Region.

Contents

Biography

Talha was born in the 1980s to a Mauritanian father and Malian mother originally from Timbuktu. [1] [2] His family fled to Libya during the Tuareg rebellion of the 1990s, where Talha grew up. [3] In 2006, Talha joined the Algerian terrorist group Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which became Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb shortly afterward. [4] He was one of the first Mauritanians in the group. [4] He fought under the orders of Abou Zeid, the leader of AQIM, within the Katiba Tarik Ibn Zayed. [2] He participated in the Tourine ambush in 2008 against Mauritanian forces. [1] When interviewed by Al Jazeera in 2012, he claimed to have traveled to Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Algeria. [3]

During the fall of Timbuktu, Talha was active as the head of the Islamic Police of Timbuktu between April 2012 and January 2013 when the city was under jihadist control. [4] [5] Following the death of Abdallah al-Chinguetti in February 2013, Talha succeeded him as emir of Katiba al-Furqan. [6] As emir of Katiba al-Furqan, Talha sought closer ties between Malian Arabs and Tuareg clans, in particular the Awlad Ich and Awlad Idriss tribes in the Tombouctou Region. [7]

In a 2015 video, Talha asked Awlad Ich members to join AQIM in the region, and called for rebellion against French forces. [7] [8] Talha also appeared in a January 2016 video where he called for a return to Sharia law in northern Mali. [7] He succeeded Abu Yahya al-Jazairi as head of JNIM in Tombouctou Region when Jazairi was killed in a clash with Malian forces in 2020. [7] [9] He is considered to be one of the most senior figures within Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. [10]

Further reading

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References

  1. 1 2 "Aqmi: Des nouveaux chefs assez ordinaires pour Taregh et Al Fourghane (Analyse)". www.your-domain.com. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  2. 1 2 Daniel, Serge (2014). Les mafias du Mali ; Trafics et terrorisme au Sahel. p. 228.
  3. 1 2 Orphans of the Sahara | Rebellion (Episode 2) , retrieved 2024-02-21
  4. 1 2 3 "Visuel interactif : le nouvel organigramme d'Aqmi - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  5. ↑ "Veteran jihadist seeks return of Sharia law in North Mali". Reuters. January 8, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Aqmi nomme un successeur à Abou Zeïd". L'Express (in French). 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Abd al-Rahman Talha al-Libi". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  8. ↑ "Timbuktu: A Laboratory for Jihadists Experimenting with Politics". War on the Rocks. 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  9. ↑ Kachmar, Oleh (2020-06-02). "ISIS in Africa: The End of the "Sahel Exception"". New Lines Institute. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  10. ↑ "Les lieutenants du chef jihadiste malien Iyad Ag Ghali, " l'ennemi public numéro un " - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-21.
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