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Backround on Abd al-Hadi Al-Iraqi
Karachi, 27 April (AKI) - (by Syed Saleem Shahzad) - The Pentagon today said it was holding one of al-Qaeda's most experienced operatives in detention at Guantánamo Bay following his capture as he tried to enter Iraq. The man was identified as Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, a paramilitary leader in Afghanistan in the late 1990s and led efforts to attack US forces in the country after the 2001 invasion.

Abd al-Hadi Al-Iraqi was initially the treasurer of Al-Qaeda and was based in South Waziristan and North Waziristan. Hadi used to supply money to Al-Qaeda operatives for international operations. In 2003, on the instructions of network number two Ayman Al-Zawahiri, he was part of an operational plan to kill General Pervez Musharraf but his role was mainly supplying money to the operatives involved in the plot. "Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi was trying to return to his native country, Iraq, to manage al-Qaida's affairs and possibly focus on operations outside Iraq against western targets," the Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said on Friday.
A logistics guy, excellent! He'll have much more info than a fighter
Well-placed sources in Al-Qaeda had told this correspondent many months ago about the migration of Abd al-Hadi Al-Iraqi from Afghanistan to Iraq. Therefore it seems difficult that he would be arrested recently while crossing into the border of Iraq, as his presence in Iraq has already been confirmed.
Likely he's been in the CIA's hands for awhile. They handed him over to the military at Gitmo after he'd been squeezed dry
Abd-al-Hadi compiled a detailed account in a book which reflects al-Qaeda's tactical ideas and deals with chemical weapons and explosives and their application, such as planting them on bridges and at strategic installations to get optimum results. In the circle of al-Qaeda the book is referred to as Encyclopedia of Jehad. It is intended to equip international operations with clear tactical ideas on how upcoming battles should be fought. The encyclopedia is available in jihadi circles in book form as well as on compact disc. It was written in Arabic and translated into Pashto, Urdu and English.

Abd al Hadi moved out of Waziristan after some major divergences emerged between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban over tactical issues, in particular the Pakistan TalibanÂ’s non-aggression pact with the Pakistan authorites.
Posted by: Steve 2007-04-27
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=186988