Juba ( ar, جوبا), sometimes spelled Joba, is the pseudonym of an anonymous

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

involved in the

Iraqi insurgency Iraqi insurgency may refer to: * Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), part of the Iraq War ** Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006), 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency ** Iraqi civil war (2006–2008), multi-sided civil war in Iraq * Iraqi insurgency (20 ...

, featured in several videos. Juba became famous after videos including footage of his shootings appeared online. The second of these videos shows Juba marking a tally of 37 "kills". Juba became a

folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; an ...

among many Iraqis due to his role in fighting against the American military in Iraq. Speculations have been made that Juba is not one person but multiple snipers working under a pseudonym. Juba worked in mostly Sunni parts of Iraq, specifically the Anbar province. Juba's videos showed real battle scenes with background

nasheed A nasheed (Arabic: singular ', plural ', meaning: "chants") is a work of vocal music, partially coincident with hymns, that is either sung ''a cappella'' or with instruments, according to a particular style or tradition within Islam. Nasheed ...

s. In many videos, Juba is seen killing multiple American soldiers with what seems to be a

Dragunov sniper rifle The SVD (russian: Сна́йперская Винто́вка систе́мы Драгуно́ва образца́ 1963 года, lit=Sniper Rifle, System of Dragunov, Model of the Year 1963, translit=Snáyperskaya Vintóvka sistém'y Dragunóv ...

. Juba is seen killing at ranges of few hundred meters (yards) to approximately a thousand meters (yards) in the videos.

Videos

Several video clips which allegedly show the actions of Juba have been circulated over the Internet. Videos included parts of the actual clips taken during anti-US sniper operations with digital cameras mounted over the sniper rifle.

First video

In November 2005, a video which was circulating in Iraq appeared on the Internet.Baghdad Sniper: Myth or Menace?

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

, February 10, 2006 The video, attributed to the

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

insurgent group

Islamic Army in Iraq The Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI) ( ar, الجيش الإسلامي في العراق ''al jaysh al islāmi fī'l-`irāq'') was one of a number of underground Islamist militant (or ''mujahideen'') organizations formed in Iraq following the 2003 invas ...

, showed American soldiers being shot and falling to the ground. The video starts with a man saying, "I have nine bullets in this gun, and I have a present for

George Bush George Bush most commonly refers to: * George H. W. Bush (1924–2018), 41st president of the United States and father of the 43rd president * George W. Bush (born 1946), 43rd president of the United States and son of the 41st president Georg ...

. I am going to kill nine soldiers. I am doing this for the viewers to watch. God is greater. God is greater." With that, he makes his way from the vehicle, and a series of separate scenes follow showing several individuals shot in action.

Second video

A second "Juba" video was distributed in 2006 in western

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

and released on the Internet in late October 2006. The video contained an interview with the supposed commander of the Baghdad sniper division, the footage shows numerous fighters being trained in the use of sniper rifles. The video discusses the alleged fear generated in coalition forces by insurgency snipers and shows "Juba" returning from a sniping mission, marking a tally of 37 on a wall. The sniper then sits down to make a diary entry. The video claims that there are dozens of snipers operating within the IAI and other factions, and shows more being trained. The rest of the video shows numerous clips of U.S. soldiers being sniped with ''

nasheeds A nasheed (Arabic: singular ', plural ', meaning: "chants") is a work of vocal music, partially coincident with hymns, that is either sung ''a cappella'' or with instruments, according to a particular style or tradition within Islam. Nasheed ...

'' in the background, and an insurgent commander explaining that his men are inspired and trained to an extent based on the information in the book ''

The Ultimate Sniper ''The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers'' is a non-fiction book written by John Plaster and published in 1993. An expanded and updated version was published in 2006. Background Plaster, a retired U.S. Ar ...

'' by retired Major and

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

sniper

John Plaster John L. Plaster (born 1949) is a former United States Army Special Forces officer regarded as one of the leading sniper experts in the world. A decorated Vietnam War veteran who served in the covert Studies and Observations Group (SOG), Plaster ...

Third and fourth videos

In December 2007, "Juba - The Baghdad Sniper 3" was released on the Internet. The production quality of the video was improved from Islamic Army's previous releases; the video was made available in nine languages. This video also refers to a website that is supposedly connected to the Juba character. In 2008, "Juba - The Baghdad Sniper 4" was released on the Internet and on that website.

In popular culture

Juba is the basis for the expert insurgent sniper character codenamed "Mustafa" in the war film ''

American Sniper ''American Sniper'' is a 2014 American biographical war drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Jason Hall. It is loosely based on the memoir '' American Sniper'' (2012) by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. The film ...

''. Juba is referenced multiple times in the 2017 war film ''

The Wall ''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imp ...

''.

References

External links

;News reports * Carroll, Rory (2005)
Elusive sniper saps U.S. morale in Baghdad
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', August 5, 2005
Juba the Sniper Legend haunting troops in Iraq
'' Stars and Stripes'', April 22, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Juba Tactics of the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) Military snipers Iraqi propagandists Salafi jihadists Unidentified people Possibly living people