Khalid Habib () (died October 16, 2008), born Shawqi Marzuq Abd al-Alam Dabbas (), was an ascending member of

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

's central structure in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. His nationality was reported as Egyptian (by CBS News) and as Moroccan (by ''The New York Times''). Habib was the operations commander for the region. He was one of several al-Qaeda members who were more battle-hardened by combat experience in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

, and elsewhere. This experience rendered them more capable than their predecessors. According to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', this cadre was more radical than the previous generation of al-Qaeda leadership. The

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

described Habib as "one of the five or six most capable, most experienced terrorists in the world. In 2008, Habib relocated from Wana to Taparghai, Pakistan to avoid missile strikes launched from US-operated

MQ-1 Predator The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the Predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ...

aircraft which targeted al Qaeda and Taliban personnel. Khalid Habib was killed by a Predator strike near Taparghai on October 16, 2008. Habib was reportedly sitting in a Toyota station wagon which was struck by the missile. On October 28, militants confirmed to the Asia Times that Habib was killed in the drone attack.

References

External links

Al-Qaeda's New Leadership
Year of birth missing 2008 deaths Assassinated al-Qaeda leaders Al-Qaeda leaders Egyptian al-Qaeda members Moroccan al-Qaeda members Deaths by American drone strikes in Pakistan Place of birth unknown Egyptian expatriates in Pakistan Moroccan expatriates in Pakistan {{crime-bio-stub