Khaled Chaieb (Jihadi Militant, Tunisia)

• Full name: Khaled Chaieb
• Pseudonym: Lokman Abu Sakhr
• Alternatives: N/a
• Location: N/a
• Affiliation: Brigade of Uqba Bin Nafa’a [KUIN], Base Organization in the Islamic Maghreb [AQIM]

Khalid Chaïeb (°1984) was an Algerian jihadi from Béjaïa. He joined the country’s jihadi forces in the late 1990s and eventually ended up in the ranks of the Base Organization in the Islamic Maghreb [AQIM; Tanzim al-Qa’ida fi-Bilad al-Maghrib al-Islami].¹ Chaïeb served as an explosives expert and reportedly even made devices for suicide attacks. Algerian courts convicted him in absentia on five occasions for his involvement in the country’s jihadi conflict.² Over time, Chaïeb developed a close relationship with AQIM top leader Abdelmalek Droukdel.³ He also maintained links with other senior jihadis operating in the country, including notorious Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar.⁴

In late 2012, Droukdel tasked Chaïeb with heading the Brigade of Uqba Bin Nafa’a [KUIN; Katibat Uqba Ibn Nafaâ] on Mount Chaâmbi, in Tunisia.⁵ Under his leadership, the KUIN became Tunisia’s most effective jihadi organization. His fighters carried out dozens of attacks against the security forces in the mountain ranges of the Kasserine governorate.⁶ Chaïeb oversaw some of the group’s most significant operations, including the Jul. 28, 2013 attack on Tunisian soldiers on Mount Chaâmbi, in which eight troops were killed.⁷ He was later also held responsible for the Jul. 17, 2014 attack on a military camp which left another fifteen soldiers dead.⁸ At the same time, Chaïeb also oversaw the expansion of the KUIN’s logistical network in other parts of the country. Droukdel further tasked him with reorganizing the remnants of the Partisans of Shari’a in Tunisia [AST; Ansar Acharîaâ] in February 2014.⁹ Over time, Tunisia’s offensives against the KUIN took a toll on the outfit. Chaïeb was forced to plead with Tunisian militants in Iraq, Libya and Syria to return to the country and help his fighters in their struggle.¹⁰

Although Chaïeb remained loyal to al-Qa’ida, he never expressed hostility towards the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [DaIISh; Dawlat al-Islamiya fi-Iraq wal ash-Sham].¹¹ In early 2015, the DaIISh reached out to Chaïeb and allegedly asked him to head its activities in the Maghreb.¹²

Chaïeb was eventually designated as Tunisia’s most wanted militant and the authorities actively tried to capture or kill him.¹³ Security forces eventually eliminated him as they intercepted his vehicle on a remote road in the Sidi Aïch area of the Gafsa governorate on Mar. 28, 2015.¹⁴ Chaïeb’s death was a heavy blow to the KUIN and the outfit never recovered.