Abdelmalek Droukdel

Abdelmalek Droukdel
Born	(1970-04-20) 20 April 1970 Meftah, Algeria
Other names	Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud
Known for	Founder and Emir of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Military career
Allegiance	Al-Qaeda
Service/branch	GSPC (1996–2006) AQIM (2007–present)
Rank	Emir of AQIM
Battles/wars	War in Afghanistan Algerian Civil War Insurgency in the Maghreb Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara Northern Mali conflict

Abdelmalek Droukdel (born 20 April 1970), also known by his nom de guerre as Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, is the 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).

Early life and education

Droukdel was born in Meftah, Algeria on 20 April 1970. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Blida before joining the insurgency in 1996.

Afghan War, Algerian Civil War and the GSPC

Droukdel returned to Algeria after fighting in the Afghan civil war, and joined the GSPC. Droukdel was a regional leader of the GSPC for several years before becoming the group's commander in 2004 following the death of then-leader Nabil Sahraoui. His mentor was Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. After the killing of Zarqawi in 2006, Droukdel published a statement in a website and stated "O infidels and apostates, your joy will be brief and you will cry for a long time... we are all Zarqawi."

Emir of AQIM

Abdelmalek Droukdel with some of his soldiers, making attacking plans, somewhere in Maghreb, in 9 October 2009.

Under Droukdel's leadership the GSPC sought to develop itself from a largely domestic entity into a larger player on the international terror stage. In September 2006, it was announced that the GSPC had joined forces with al-Qaeda and in January 2007, the group officially changed its name to the "Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb." Droukdel played a significant role in this merge. However, the local leaders of the organization such as Droukdel began to pursue much more independent activities and were distanced from al-Qaeda in the last quarter of 2012.

Droukdel ousted Mokhtar Belmokhtar from the organization in late 2012 for Belmokhtar's "fractious behaviour". Journalists discovered a document attributed to Droukdel and dated 20 July 2012 in Timbuktu that criticized militants for implementing Islamic law too quickly in Mali. He believed the destruction of shrines would provoke Western governments to intervene in Mali.

Designation

In December 2007, the United States Department of the Treasury imposed financial sanctions and froze Abdelmalek Droukdel's assets under Executive Order 13224.