Abdelhamid Abou Zeid
Abdelhamid Abou Zeid (born Mohamed Ghadir; 1965 – 25 February 2013), was an Algerian national and Islamist jihadi militant and smuggler who, in about 2010, became one of the top three military commanders of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a Mali-based militant organization. He competed as the chief rival of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, an Algerian national who had become the major commander in AQIM and later head of his own group. Both gained wealth and power by kidnapping and ransoming European nationals. After taking control of Timbuktu in 2012, Abou Zeid established sharia law and destroyed Sufi shrines. Abou Zeid was killed by French and Chadian troops on 25 February 2013 in fighting in Northern Mali. On 23 March, Zeid's death was "definitively confirmed" by the French president's office. Early life Abou Zeid was born in Algeria in 1965. Militant activities Abou Zeid was one of the senior members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, (AQIM), an Islamist militant organization. He had been promoted by the emir of AQIM, Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud (a.k.a. Abdelmalek Droukdel); some commentators speculated that Wadoud wanted to have an alternative to Mokhtar Belmokhtar, an increasingly powerful commander in AQIM also operating in Mali. Abou