Bin Laden associate killed.

Multi—National Forces—Iraq announced April 13 the killing of a wanted terrorist and known al—Qaida associate, Rafid Ibrahim Fattah aka Abu Umar al Kurdi. Abu Umar al Kurdi died in an early morning raid March 27 in the vicinity of Abu Ghraib, Baghdad . Officials confirmed he had ties to Jaysh al—Islami, Ansar al Sunnah, Taliban members in Afghanistan , Pakistani—based extremists, and senior al—Qaida leaders to include Osama bin Laden and Ayman al—Zawahiri.

The terrorist worked as a Jaysh al—Islami cell leader in Baquba for the last six months, and was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of an Iraqi woman. Over the past 15 years, Abu Umar al Kurdi traveled extensively throughout Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq and had met with senior al—Qaida leaders in Afghanistan in 1999.

In the 1980s he formed ties with the Muslim Brotherhood while in Iran and Pakistan before joining the Jihad in Afghanistan in 1989. He was given the title of an al—Qaida ambassador and attended military training camps near Jalabad where Osama bin Laden often visited. In 1991 he returned to the Muslim Brotherhood in Peshawar and in 1992 moved to Iraq , joining the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan.

Throughout the 1990s until his death, Abu Umar al Kurdi held various positions including that of liaison between terrorist networks, as an operations officer responsible for coordinating the activities of various terrorist groups, and as a security chief for a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan .

A current detainee claimed that Abu Umar al Kurdi recruited him into the JAI terrorist organization. The detainee also told officials that Abu Umar al—Kurdi kidnapped and murdered a female hostage several months ago. Officials confirmed the kidnapping and are investigating the murder.

John B. Dwyer   4 14 06