New US action to counter terrorism in Africa

Ahmed Adel

The US State Department on Friday, October 4 announced a reward of $5 million for information leading to the capture of terrorist Adnan Abou Walid al-Sahraoui, a former member of the Polisario Front who became the leader of ISIS in the Sahara Desert.

The statement added that it was ISIS that carried out the terrorist attack against a US-Nigerian patrol in October 2017, killing four US soldiers.

Who is Adnan Abou Walid al-Sahraoui?

Adnan Abou Walid al-Sahraoui is one of the most dangerous terrorists on the African scene. His real name is Lehbib Ould Ali Ould Said, and he is also known as the Idrissi Lehbib. He was born in the city of Laayoune, Western Sahara, and he obtained a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Mentouri in Constantine, Algeria. He also speaks three languages.

His beginning was in 2011, when he announced the establishment of the so-called “Tawhid and Jihad in West Africa”, which claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of three European citizens in the Sahel. At the time, he did not announce of his allegiance to anyone, whether al-Qaeda or ISIS.

In 2012, Sahraoui announced the establishment of al-Murabitoun, an al-Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel-Saharan region, and he pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

In 2015, he announced his allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Despite his announcement, Baghdadi did not accept the pledge of allegiance at first, but he surprised everyone in April 2019 when he paid tribute to Sahraoui, directing him to continue terrorist operations against UN forces in the Sahel-Saharan region. Baghdadi also declared the establishment of the “Central and West African State” with indications that their leader is a Sahraoui.

In August 2018, the UN Security Council placed Sahraoui on the list of most dangerous terrorist figures, asserting that he was closely linked to ISIS.

In June 2019, intelligence reports revealed that Baghdadi announced the appointment of Sahraoui to be responsible for the organization’s branch in Africa, specifically in Burkina Faso, South Africa, Congo and Mozambique, as well as leading the armed operations in Niger and Mali.

Meanwhile, Hisham al-Najjar, a researcher in Islamist movements, said that the terrorist operations carried out by ISIS in Africa bear indications of Sahraoui’s presence, stressing that the organization is trying to draw attention to this in the framework of opening new fronts for it in Africa and then trying to attract new elements.

The United States is trying through various ways to control the security situation in the Sahel and Sahara region, Najjar said, adding that this is evident in the announcement of a huge reward for the arrest of Sahraoui.