Abu Azrael

Abu Azrael
أبو عزرائيل

Abu Azrael at the Speicher military base, near the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, on March 14, 2015.
Native name أبو عزرائيل
Birth name Ayyub Faleh Hassan al-Rubaie
Nickname(s) Abu Azrael
Rambo[1]
Born c. 1978 (age 37–38)
Baghdad, Iraq
Allegiance  Iraq
Service/branch Popular Mobilization Forces (Iraq)
Rank Commander
Unit Kataib al-Imam Ali
Battles/wars

Iraq War (2014–present)

Ayyub Faleh Hassan al-Rubaie (Arabic: أيوب فالح حسن الربيعي‎‎; Persian: ایوب فالح حسن ربیعی‎‎), known by his nom de guerre Abu Azrael (Arabic: أبو عزرائيل‎‎; Persian: ابو عزرائیل‎‎, literally "Father of Azrael"), also known as the "Angel of Death" (Arabic: ملاك الموت‎‎; Persian: فرشته مرگ‎‎), is a commander[3] of the Kataib al-Imam Ali, an Iraqi Shi'a militia group of the Popular Mobilization Forces that is fighting ISIL/ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) in Iraq.[4] He has become a public icon of resisting ISIL in Iraq among Shia Iraqis with a large following on social media.[5] His motto and catchphrase is "Ella Tahin" (Arabic: إلّا طحين‎‎; Persian: آردشان کن‎‎), meaning "Grind you to dust."

He was a former militia member in Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army[6] which fought against the United States during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.[7]

Personal life

Abu Azrael is described in various sources as a Shia who is a 40-year-old former university lecturer and a one-time Taekwondo champion,[8] although other sources dispute that and suggest that this back-story may be fabricated.[9]

Reports from March 2015 claimed that Azrael is a father of five, and lives an "ordinary life" when not on the battlefield.[10]

Criticism

Following the viral video showing Abu Azrael striking the burnt corpse of a dead ISIS fighter with a sword, Ali Khedery was quoted as saying "War crimes are never justifiable. Horrific video featuring a war crime by Iraq's Abu Azrael".[11] Abu Azrael later said that the victim was a foreign fighter.[12]

Abu Azrael stated that he had been told by a senior imam in Najaf that he should pray for penance and "never do such a thing again".[13]

Public image

Abu Azrael is currently fighting against ISIS although he has also fought against other militant groups. He has attracted attention in the Middle East, but by the spring of 2015, he had also made front-page appearances on international news websites in England, France and the United States.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Islamic State brutally executes 4 men in response to slaying by 'Angel of Death' - The Long War Journal". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  2. ↑ Amir Toumaj (4 November 2016). "Abu Azrael spotted during PMF's Mosul operation". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Levitt, Matthew; Smyth, Phillip (5 January 2015). "Kataib al-Imam Ali: Portrait of an Iraqi Shiite Militant Group Fighting IS". Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Wyke, Tom (13 March 2015). "The university lecturer who became an axe-wielding Iraqi soldier known as the 'Angel of Death': Fearsome warrior has become a living legend among those fighting ISIS". Mail Online. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Iraqi fighter gains social media following in fight against ISIS". Al Arabiya News. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "Abu Azrael: Iraq's Celebrity Anti-Islamic State Fighter". NDTV. March 17, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Mahdi Army". Stanford University. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Jaber, Hala (15 March 2015). "Iraq's Rambo roars as Isis loses grip on Tikrit". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Wenig, Erica (13 March 2015). "Hatchet-Wielding Lunatic Kills ISIS, Thrills Iran". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "'The Archangel of Death' fighting Islamic State". BBC News. March 17, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Iraqi fighter carves flesh off the corpse of a burned 'ISIS fighter'". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Video of celebrity Iraq fighter slicing body goes viral". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  13. ↑ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/the-times/shia-hero-abu-azrael-regrets-butchering-dead-daesh-prisoner/news-story/56df83bc7bda9b1e5c033209eafafa47
  14. ↑ FRANCE 24 English (29 May 2015). "Meet Abu Azrael, 'Iraq's Rambo', the most reknown(sic) fighter in Iraq". Retrieved 8 June 2016 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ "The Angel of Death is Coming For You, ISIL". Al Jazeera America. March 18, 2015.

External links


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