Al-Qaeda’s third-in-command, Abu Hafs al-Mauritani,
who was born in southern Mauritania in 1967, is the eponym of “The Secret
History of Al-Jihad. From Al-Qaeda to the Islamic State”. He is now living in an upmarket suburb in the
Mauritanian capital Nouakchott.
Abu Hafs al-Mauritani gives an unprecedented account
on his first encounter with Al-Qaeda’s leader Osama Bin Laden. Abu Hafs was Bin
Laden’s close friend. Due to his poor knowledge of Islam and its Sharia, Bin
Laden appointed Abu Hafs his Mufti. Abu Hafs’ immense knowledge of Islam and
its sciences is attributed to his education in Nouakchott-based Saudi Institute
of Islamic Studies, which was popular for being the mecca of students from
eastern African countries and Arab Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and
Libya). IIS’s notorious graduates included Abu Bakr Shekaw, leader of terror
group Boko Haram in Nigeria. The Mauritanian authorities decided to close IIS
in 2011.
Although Abu Hafs went to Afghanistan in 1991, he
did not have the chance to come across Bin Laden. The first meeting between
Al-Qaeda’s leader and its Mufti took place next year—in Sudan.
The wealthy Jihadist did not lead a lavish
lifestyle. He allocated a fortune he inherited from his wealthy father to
financing his alleged holy war. His residence was not fitted with a fridge or
fans. He never served soft drinks to his guests. Nor would he buy toys to his
kids. His daughters were the victims of their father’s condemnation to girl
education.
Bin Laden did not welcome the exchange of gifts. He
never dined abroad; he enjoyed dishes prepared by his wives.
Abu Hafs also remembers that Bin Laden was
Al-Qaeda’s sole policymaker and its chief commander. According to the Mauritanian Mufti’s account,
Bin Laden trusted Saudi citizens more than any other people to ram their plans
into the World Trade Tower on September 11, 2001. He was confident that Saudi citizens would
not betray him under any circumstances. It is known that the 9/11 attack
severed the relationship between Al-Qaeda’s leader and the Mufti. Abu Hafs
condemned such savage attacks on innocent civilians. The Mufti decided to walk
away.
The author,
Mauritanian journalist al-Amin wild Salem, confirmed to the French weekly
magazine le Point that Abu Hafs also condemned the two massacres, which took
place in Bataclan threatre and Cacher hypermarket. Wild Salem had a long meeting with Abu Hafs
in his posh family residence in Nouakchott.
Nonetheless, Abu Hafs approved the destruction of
Buddha statues in Bamiyan in Afghanistan. He also supported the killing of journalists working for Charlie Hebdo magazine
for publishing satirical cartoons featuring Prophet Mohammed.
Long stay in Iran
“The Secret History of Al-Jihad.. From Al-Qaeda to
the Islamic State” explained that Abu Hafs did not escape to Iran in 2001. The
author said that Al-Qaeda’s Mufti preferred to stay in Iran after he fled
Afghanistan because the Shi’ia Iranians were against terrorist acts committed
by alleged Jihadists. According to Wild Salem, Abu Hafs was not alone in Iran.
Bin Laden’s third wife and her son Hamza also sought safe refuge in the Shi’a
state. Their predecessors in Iran were Bin Laden’s children from his first
wife: Saad, Osman, Fatma, Bakr and Iman.
The book claims that Bin Laden’s family was put
under house arrest in Iran. The author suggested that the Iranian authorities
might have used Bin Laden’s family in Tehran as a kind of pressure during
nuclear negotiations with the Europeans and the Americans.
Abu Hafs returned to Mauritanian only in 2012. The
author realized that Abu Hafs’ movements in Mauritania are not restricted. Bin
Laden’s Mufti refused to meet the author in Senegal or Morocco. Like many other
people, who were close to Abu Hafs, the author did not help decode the mystery
whether Abu Hafs was an agent of the Mauritanian security authorities.
