Abu Azrael

Abu Azrael
Abu Azrael
Birth name	Ayoub Falih Hasan Al-Rubayie
Nickname(s)	Abu Azrael; Angel of Death; Rambo
Born	April 26, 1978 (age 46); Sadr City, Ba'athist Iraq
Allegiance	Iraq
Service / branch	Popular Mobilization Forces
Unit	Kataib al-Imam Ali
Battles / wars	Iraqi insurgency (2003-2011) War in Iraq (2013–2017) Salahuddin campaign Battle of Tikrit; Battle of Baiji; ; Battle of Mosul (2016);

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 ISIS (ISIL) in Iraq. He has become a public icon among Shia's 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 ISIS militants,^[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 against ISIL.^[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]

References

^ "Islamic State brutally executes 4 men in response to slaying by 'Angel of Death' - The Long War Journal". Retrieved 8 June 2016.
^ Amir Toumaj (4 November 2016). "Abu Azrael spotted during PMF's Mosul operation". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ ابنا (2016-08-18). ""ابوعزرائیل‌" به قم و زیارت حضرت معصومه(س) رفت + عکس". fa.abna24.com (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-08-22.
^ "'The Archangel of Death' fighting Islamic State". BBC News. March 17, 2015.
^ ""Iraq's Rambo" out of favour with his own militia after brutally violent videos". Retrieved 2019-12-26.
^ "NoCookies | The Australian".
^ "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.
^ "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.
^ "The Angel of Death is Coming For You, ISIL". Al Jazeera America. March 18, 2015.
^ 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.
^ ابنا (2016-11-01). "ابوعزرائیل در نبرد آزادسازی موصل آفتابی شد + عکس". fa.abna24.com (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-08-22.
^ "Iran Update, October 14, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. October 14, 2023.

[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.

[AJ-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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Personal life

Public image

See also

References