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Islam Times Exclusive:

Governor of Baghdad in Al-Qaeda organization reveals details about it

6 Jun 2010 09:16

(Islam Times) - Manaf Al-Rawi is the name of Baghdad’s governor in Al-Qaeda organization in Iraq. Al-Rawi is Iraqi; he is born in 1975 Al-Anbar, married, and has children. Yet, because of his extreme thought, he separated from his wife. He was living in Al-Khadra neighborhood inside the capital Baghdad with one of his assistances, his wife know nothing about him and/or his belonging.


By: Hamza Obeid

Al-Rawi was working in the military manufacturing committee. He did not serve in the Iraqi mandatory army during the former regime. He belongs to a tribe, and he used to have two houses, in which he used to move and hide in Al-Hussein and Al-Khadra quarters.
Al-Rawi was so active during the famous battle of Fallujah, which took place during the early days of occupation, particularly in late 2003. At that said battle, Al-Rawi met the Jordanian man the so-called Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, he was the Prince and the commander of Al-Qaeda extremist organization in Iraq and Manaf Al-Rawi was one of his soldiers. Then Al-Rawi was arrested by the Americans and entered prison on 15/6 /2004, remained arrested for three and a half years, and was released in late 2007. He was kept in Abu Ghraib, Boka, near Airport prisons. During the period of detention, Al-Rawi met a person called Haji Abdul Wahid; he was one of the top officials of Al-Qaeda organizations, Baghdad’s Emir). Communication and Coordination between Al-Rawi and Abdul Wahid was taking place inside the prison, and then Abdul Wahid was released before Al-Rawi. However, when Al-Rawi was released, he called him and then they met. After a period of time, Abdul Wahid left his work (as Baghdad’s governor). Then, Al-Rawi became the Governor of Baghdad, ordered by Abu Hamza Al-Masri; he was the organization's leader after the death of Zarqawi in one of the orchards in the Diyala governorate by the common troops. Al-Rawi used to know Abu Hamza Al-Masri through participating in the battle of Fallujah; he was at that time an ordinary Arab fighter. There were Arab fighters from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, and other nationalities. They entered the country to fight (strive) against the occupier.
Al-Rawi used to receive orders and instructions directly from Al-Masri via mail sent directly to people. Al-Rawi was the director and general supervisor of Al-Qaeda organization in Baghdad. He was managing the operations by himself. In fact, Al-Rawi was not the only person moving freely in the country, especially in Baghdad. There were several terrorist organizations and violent criminal militants killing and bombing the open arenas. Al-Rawi used to implement the high orders of the Organization’s Department of Management located in Al-Masri and Al-Baghdadi. Al-Rawi receives money and contacts suicide bombers from outside Baghdad via the mail. Every operation launched by Al-Rawi in Baghdad costs between 50,000 thousand dollars and 100,000 per one operation, not to mention the double operations that cost much more than that. Al-Rawi used to identify the type of operation, calculate and estimate its costs, the amount of money needed to buy cars by methods of fundamentalism, and the expenditures of transferring, booby-trapping, and suicide bombers, since most of them come from abroad and are transported within private channels and brought into the field of operations.
Al-Rawi used to move in Baghdad freely without any personal protection, and without carrying any weapon. He used to meet with the sources through personal and direct meetings with the reliable people transferring information, money and suicide bombers. Al-Rawi did not have or even carry a cell phone and he did not use it since he was released from prison in 2007.
As for the way of implementing the operations and the liquidation of the targets, it used to take one month. After the target is identified, geographically monitoring the target place takes place. Then, the required materials for implementation such as cars, the amount of explosives, and the number of suicide bombers is to be estimated. At this step, the suicide bomber makes a tour in the operation place in order to train and to inspect personally the place of implementation.
Al-Rawi said that he did not feel any danger at all, and that he did not expect to be exposed, or to be recognized by anyone because he was an uncomplicated man, away from suspicions, and do not converse and/or travel much. He met with Al-Zarqawi four times in his life, but he did not meet with Al-Baghdadi and do not know him personally. He only had relationship with AL-Masri.
He admitted that he does not want to die, and that he never thought that he would die one day or carry out a suicide operation by himself, since the warlords and leaders of the organization do not carry out suicide attacks. He added, “This comes because suicide bombers are more prepared and spiritual than us, and that they belong to such an organization provided that to be bombers when necessary. Moreover, they come to us from abroad ready to implement the suicide bombings, and most of them were from Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq”.
Manaf Al-Rawi was arrested at one of the security checkpoints in Baghdad. One of the soldiers personally recognized him and then he surrendered without any resistance, admitted to them that he is Al-Rawi, and was handed over to the Iraqi authorities. During interrogation, Al-Rawi told the intelligence services about the place of the leaders of the organization, Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayoub Al-Masri in Tharthar. Based upon the correct information given by Al-Rawi to the security services, the valuable target has been chased and achieved. The organization's leaders were all killed in one single attack due to information that are not less important than the information that led the country to Al-Masri and Al-Baghdadi. In addition, charts, maps, names, and other locations were revealed and were given to the security forces. Such as, reaching the shell of Izzat Al-Duri and killing the military commander of Al-Qaeda in the northern regions.
Al-Rawi admitted that he was the mastermind and the only one executing the operations of killing, bombing, and assassination in Baghdad. He was responsible for the operations targeting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Planning, and the Council of the Province of Baghdad. In addition, he was responsible for targeting the headquarters of Al-Iraqiya state channel, the private court, the Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday bombings, and targeting the Embassies in Baghdad. He confessed that he assassinated MP Harith Al-Obeidi, and that he was ordered by Al-Masri to liquidate him.
Translation By Mayssa Hazimeh


Story Code: 27725

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https://www.islamtimes.org/en/news/27725/governor-of-baghdad-in-al-qaeda-organization-reveals-details-about-it

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