Al-Qaeda commander Shaker Wahib is the heir apparent of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his legacy with Iraqi and regional young al-Qaeda militants, who cite his words and speeches more than they do those of the organization’s founder Osama bin Laden, its current leader Ayman al-Zawahri or even Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 

Zarqawi's legacy can be seen as responsible for young commander Shaker Wahib gaining widespread renown after he removed the black mask that covered his face and executed a group of Syrian drivers in Anbar on Aug. 25, 2013.

Not much information is available about Wahib, who is called “commander Abu Wahib” and “Desert Lion” by ISIS supporters. The little that is known comes from the tidbits disseminated by his supporters, who announced that he was born in 1986 and never completed his studies in computer science at the University of Anbar following his capture by US forces in 2006 on charges of belonging to al-Qaeda. According to these supporters, he was incarcerated at Bucca Prison in southern Iraq until 2009, when he was transferred to Tikrit Central Prison. He managed to escape in 2012 during an attack executed by his organization on the prison gate as a rebellion raged inside. This plot led to the flight of 110 detainees, including Wahib.

Wahib became an ISIS field commander in the Anbar desert upon his escape from prison, the direct result of years of planning, training and preparation inside Bucca and Tikrit prisons. The two prisons have housed a large number of the organization’s leaders, reportedly among them former leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and current leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.