Abu Azrael
Birth nameAyoub Falih Hasan Al-Rubayie
Nickname(s)Abu Azrael
Angel of Death[1]
Rambo
Born (1978-04-26) April 26, 1978 (age 45)
Sadr City, Ba'athist Iraq
Allegiance Iraq
Service/branchPopular Mobilization Forces
UnitKataib al-Imam Ali
Battles/warsIraqi insurgency (2003-2011)

War in Iraq (2013–2017)

Ayoub Falih Hasan Al-Rubayie (Arabic: أيوب فالح حسن الربيعي; born 1978), known by his nom de guerre Abu Azrael, is an Iraqi commander in the Kataib al-Imam Ali, an Iraqi Shi'a militia group of the Popular Mobilization Forces that fought the Islamic State in Iraq. He has become a public icon among Shi'a Iraqis, gaining a large following on social media. His motto and catchphrase is "Ella Tahin", literally meaning "until/into dust," interpreted to mean "grind you to dust."[citation needed]

Abu Azrael was a member of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, which fought against the U.S.-led Coalition forces during the Iraqi insurgency.[3]

Personal life

Abu Azrael is a Shi'a Muslim who is a former university lecturer and a one-time Taekwondo champion.[4] According to an Iranian source,[5] reports from March 2015 claimed that Azrael is a father of five, and lives an "ordinary life" when not on the battlefield.[6]

Following incidents where he was filmed desecrating the corpses of IS fighters,[7] 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."[8]

In October 2019, he was severely beaten unconscious by protesting Iraqis in Baghdad's Tahrir Square.[9]

In 2020, he was infected with COVID-19 and suffered lung damage.[10]

Public image

Abu Azrael fought against ISIS, although he has also fought against other[which?] militant groups. By the spring of 2015, he had made front-page appearances on international news websites in England, France and the United States.[11]

He has received a medal of honor from the Representative of the Supreme Religious Authority Sayyid Ahmad al-Safi.[12]

In 2016, he was spotted on the battlefield in the Battle of Mosul.[13]

During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Abu Azrael claimed to have been near the Israel-Lebanon border, waiting for "any opportunity" to enter Israel.[14]

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. ^ Varma, Aditya (2015-12-02). "Have You Heard Of Abu Azrael, The Iraqi Rambo Who Is ISIS's Worst Nightmare?". ScoopWhoop. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  4. ^ Jaber, Hala (15 March 2015). "Iraq's Rambo roars as Isis loses grip on Tikrit". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  5. ^ ابنا (2016-08-18). ""ابوعزرائیل‌" به قم و زیارت حضرت معصومه(س) رفت + عکس". fa.abna24.com (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  6. ^ "'The Archangel of Death' fighting Islamic State". BBC News. March 17, 2015.
  7. ^ ""Iraq's Rambo" out of favour with his own militia after brutally violent videos". Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  8. ^ "NoCookies | The Australian".
  9. ^ "Mosul joins the protests in Iraq but in a different way - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". al Monitor. Archived from the original on 2021-08-22. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  10. ^ "Corona virus damages the lung of "Abu Azrael"". Saudi 24 News. 2020-07-12. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  11. ^ "The Angel of Death is Coming For You, ISIL". Al Jazeera America. March 18, 2015.
  12. ^ ابنا, اختصاصی (2015-05-24). "تقدیر از "ابوعزرائیل" و رزمنده ۸۰ ساله در حرم حضرت عباس(ع) + تصاویر". fa.abna24.com (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  13. ^ ابنا (2016-11-01). "ابوعزرائیل در نبرد آزادسازی موصل آفتابی شد + عکس". fa.abna24.com (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  14. ^ "Iran Update, October 14, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. October 14, 2023.
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