Shaker Wahib al-Fahdawi (1986 – May 6, 2016), better known as Abu Waheeb ("''Father of Waheeb''";

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: ابو وهيب), was an Iraqi militant jihadist who was the leader of the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

in Anbar, Iraq. He was killed with three others in a United States-led coalition airstrike in May 2016, according to the

US Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

Biography

Fahdawi was born in 1986. In 2006, while studying

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

at the

University of Anbar The University of Anbar () is an Iraqi university in Ramadi, Al Anbar, Iraq. It was founded in 1987 with a college of education and a college of girls' education, and then expanded until it reached university status in 2011 with 18 colleges. The ...

, he was arrested by US forces on charges of belonging to

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (; AQI), was a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda. It was founded on 17 October 2004, and was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until its disbandment on 15 October 2006 after he was killed in a targ ...

. Following his arrest, Fahdawi was detained by US forces at the

Camp Bucca Camp Bucca () was a forward operating base that housed a theater internment facility maintained by the United States military in the vicinity of Umm Qasr, Iraq. After being taken over by the U.S. military (800th Military Police Brigade) in April ...

detention facility in southern Iraq until 2009, when he was sentenced to death and moved to Tikrit Central Prison in the

Saladin Governorate The Saladin, Salah ad Din, or Salah Al-Din Governorate (, ) is one of Iraq's 19 governorates, north of Baghdad. It has an area of , with an estimated population of 1,042,200 people in 2003. It is made up of 8 districts, with the capital being T ...

. Fahdawi was one of 110 detainees who escaped the prison in 2012, following an attack on the prison by forces from the

Islamic State of Iraq The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ') was a Salafi jihadist militant organization that fought the forces of the U.S.-led coalition during the Iraqi insurgency. The organization aimed to overthrow the Iraqi federal government and establish an ...

leading to a subsequent riot within the prison. He had learnt from the senior ISI leaders he had been imprisoned with, and he became a field commander in

Anbar Province Al Anbar Governorate (; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The population ...

after his release. Iraqi officials blamed him for a long list of terror-related offences and put a $50,000 bounty on him. He killed three Syrian

Alawite Alawites () are an Arabs, Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate A ...

truck drivers in western Iraq in the summer of 2013. By 2014, Fahdawi was playing an important role in leading combat operations of the group, now known as the

, in

Death

On May 6, 2016, the Pentagon said Abu Waheeb was killed along with three others in a vehicle by a US airstrike near Rutba.

Orlando nightclub shooting

According to transcripts, Omar Mateen, the perpetrator of the Orlando nightclub shooting, said that the attack was a response to the killing of Abu Waheeb. Mateen stated his attack was "triggered" by a May 6, 2016 U.S. bombing strike that killed Abu Waheeb. Mateen's words were: "That's what triggered it, OK? They should have not bombed and killed Abu aheeb"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Waheeb 1986 births 2016 deaths Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members from Iraq Escapees from Iraqi detention Members of al-Qaeda in Iraq Assassinated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members Deaths by American airstrikes during the Syrian civil war Former members of al-Qaeda