Ayoub Falih Hasan Al-Raie ( ar, أيوب فالح حسن لراعي), born 1978, known by his

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Abu Azrael, also known as the Angel of Death, is an Iraqi Commander in the popular crowd of the

Kataib al-Imam Ali Kata'ib al-Imam Ali ( ar, كتائب الإمام علي, ''Kataʾib al-ʾImām ʿAlīy''), also known as the Imam Ali Battalions, are the armed wing of the Islamic Movement of Iraq (Harakat al-Iraq al-Islamiyah) and serve as part of the umbrel ...

, an Iraqi Shi'a militia group of the

Popular Mobilization Forces The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) ( ar, الحشد الشعبي ''al-Ḥashd ash-Shaʿbī''), also known as the People's Mobilization Committee (PMC) and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), is an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization ...

that is fighting ISIS in Iraq. He has become a public icon of resisting ISIS in Iraq among Shia Iraqis with 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." Abu Azrael was a former member in

Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr ( ar, مقتدى الصدر, Muqtadā aṣ-Ṣadr; born 4 August 1974) is an Iraqi politician and militia leader. He is the leader of the Sadrist Movement and the leader of the Peace Companies, a successor to the militia he had p ...

Mahdi Army The Peace Companies ( ar, سرايا السلام, or Saraya al Salam) are an Iraqi armed group linked to Iraq's Shia community. They are a 2014 revival of the Mahdi Army ( ''Jaysh al-Mahdī'') that was created by the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada a ...

which fought against the U.S./Coalition forces during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Personal life

Abu Azrael is described in various sources as a Shia Muslim who is a 40-year-old former university lecturer and a one-time

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

champion. According to an Iranian source, Reports from March 2015 claimed that Azrael is a father of five, and lives an "ordinary life" when not on the battlefield. Following incidents where he was filmed desecrating the corpses of ISIS fighters, Azrael stated that he had been told by a senior

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

Najaf Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...

that he should pray for penance and "never do such a thing again". In October 2019, he was severely beaten unconscious by

protesting A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

Iraqis at

Tahrir Square, Baghdad Liberation Square ( ar, ساحة التحرير) is located in central Baghdad at the intersection of al-Sadoun Street and the Jamhouriyya Bridge Road. Liberation Square is Baghdad's biggest and most central square located in the Al-Rusafa part o ...

. In 2020, he was infected with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and suffered lung damage.

Public image

Abu Azrael fought 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. He has received a medal of honor from the Representative of the Supreme Religious Authority Sayyid Ahmad al-Safi. In 2016, he was spotted on the battlefield in the Battle of Mosul.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azrael, Abu Living people Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces Iraqi Shia Muslims Iraqi military personnel People from Baghdad 1978 births People of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) Iraqi conspiracy theorists Taxi drivers

Personal life

Public image

See also

References