Abu Deraa Explained

Abu Deraa
Native Name:اسماعيل حافظ اللامي
Nickname:Abu Deraa; Shi'ite Zarqawi
Birth Name:Ismail Hafiz al-Lami
Allegiance:Mahdi Army (formerly)

Ismail Hafidh al-Lami (Arabic: اسماعيل حافظ اللامي) — known as Abu Deraa (Arabic: أبو درع, "Father of the Shield") is an Iraqi Shia militant whose men have been accused of retaliatory terrorizing and killing of Sunnis.[1] [2] [3] [4]

Biography

Little is known about Abu Deraa's background.[5] He is believed to have fled to Sadr City as a refugee, having fled to Baghdad following the destruction of the southern Shiite villages by Saddam. He is believed to be married, with two children.

Abu Deraa operated out of Sadr City, which is also the stronghold of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, the Mahdi Army. He has gained a reputation for his command of Shiite death squads and brutal attacks targeting Sunni Muslims and cases of mass kidnappings in broad daylight.

He was also accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and assassination of Saddam Hussein's lawyer Khamis al-Obeidi. Abu Deraa's son was reported to have pulled the trigger.[6] He is thought to have been recently disavowed by Muqtada al-Sadr due to his unmitigated killing sprees.[7]

Militias loyal to Abu Deraa were also known to burn houses that belonged to Sadr City's Sunni minority as part of their campaign to cleanse the area of Sunnis.[8]

Attacks

False claims of death

In a statement released December 4, 2006, the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the killing of Abu Deraa on a road north of Baghdad.[13] The claim came three days after a statement released by the Islamic Army in Iraq that also claimed responsibility for the killing of Abu Deraa.[14] It has been claimed that he had taken part in a by-proxy interview with The Sydney Morning Herald conducted by veteran Middle East correspondent Paul McGeough on December 20, 2006.[6] His first exclusive interview, published on November 16, 2006, was with Reuters.

According to US intelligence, Abu Deraa fled to Iran to evade capture in early 2007 and has since then commanded his forces out of Iran.[15] In August 2010, after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki formed a coalition government with rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, there were reports that Abu Deraa was allowed to return to Iraq.[16]

2014 appearance

Abu Deraa appeared in an anti-ISIS rally staged by the Promised Day Brigades in June 2014 in a show of force in response to recent ISIS gains.[17]

In popular culture

According to Alex Von Tunzelmann of The Guardian, the character known as "The Butcher" in the widely seen 2014 movie American Sniper may be based loosely on Abu Deraa.[18]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Parker. Ned. 18 February 2015. Iraq civil war leader rallies Shi'ite fighters against Islamic State. Reuters. Kalin. Stephen. live. 2 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20160710114408/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-militias-idUSKBN0LM15920150218. 10 July 2016. Evans. Dominic.
  2. News: November 16, 2006. Baghdad Shi'ite militant says fighting for all Iraqis. Reuters. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080513082925/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAC529741.htm. 13 May 2008.
  3. Ghosh. Bobby. 28 November 2006. The Face of Iraq's Brutality. Time.
  4. News: Johnson. Scott C.. 12 November 2006. Iraq: A New Enemy Emerges—'The Shiite Zarqawi'. Newsweek. live. 3 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20131229161422/https://www.newsweek.com/iraq-new-enemy-emerges-shiite-zarqawi-106681. 29 December 2013.
  5. News: Swain. Jon. 21 January 2007. Is this Iraq's most prolific mass killer?. The Sunday Times. live. subscription. 3 June 2021. https://archive.today/20210603142735/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/is-this-iraqs-most-prolific-mass-killer-sq7ml62k23f. 3 June 2021.
  6. News: McGeough. Paul. 20 December 2006. Face to face with Iraq's most wanted. The Sydney Morning Herald. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200125225401/https://www.smh.com.au/world/face-to-face-with-iraqs-most-wanted-20061220-gdp37z.html. 25 January 2020.
  7. Khalil. Lydia. 10 October 2006. Al-Sadr's Weakening Grip on the Mahdi Army. live. Terrorism Focus. The Jamestown Foundation. III. 39. 6–7. https://web.archive.org/web/20070426105052/http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370161. 26 April 2007.
  8. Web site: حملة امنية فى العراق للقبض على " ابو دراع " مشعل الفتنة الطائفية - يا… . https://archive.today/20140423040513/http://yamazaj.com/news/79489 . 23 April 2014 . dead.
  9. News: 23 August 2006. Lawyer's fate sealed with judas kiss. The Sydney Morning Herald.
  10. News: 27 August 2006. Kidnapped Iraqi lawmaker released, officials say. CNN. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20070311013445/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/26/iraq.main/index.html. 11 March 2007.
  11. Web site: 2016-07-11 . أبو درع "رمز" الاقتتال الطائفي بالعراق يظهر مجددا (ملف) . 2022-06-08 . عربي21 . ar.
  12. News: Fletcher. Martin. 30 August 2007. Death squad leader behind abduction of five Britons is named. The Times. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080510160211/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article2351406.ece. 10 May 2008.
  13. Web site: 4 December 2006. Islamic State of Iraq Claims Responsibility for Killing Shi'ite Militia Commander Abu Deraa. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928061209/http://www.siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications231506&Category=publications&Subcategory=0. 28 September 2007. SITE Institute.
  14. Web site: 1 December 2006. Intelligence Corps of the Islamic Army in Iraq Announces the Killing of Abu Deraa, an al-Mahdi Army Commander Referred to as the "Shi'ite Zarqawi". subscription. SITE Institute.
  15. Treasury Designates Individuals, Entity Fueling Iraqi Insurgency. United States Department of the Treasury. HP-759. https://web.archive.org/web/20100117041522/https://www.treasury.gov/press/releases/hp759.htm. live. 17 January 2010. 9 January 2008.
  16. News: 30 August 2010. Butcher of Baghdad 'returns' amid turmoil. United Press International. live. 7 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150525031147/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/08/30/Butcher-of-Baghdad-returns-amid-turmoil/27281283190169/. 25 May 2015.
  17. Web site: Abu Deraa, Accused Mass Killer Of Sunnis Known As The 'Zarqawi Of The Shiites,' Seen In Iraq. 22 June 2014. International Business Times. 7 November 2014.
  18. Web site: Von Tunzelmann. Alex. 20 January 2015. Is American Sniper historically accurate?. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210530232402/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jan/20/why-american-snipers-historical-dishonesty-misleads. 30 May 2021. 31 January 2015. The Guardian.

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