Abu Deraa

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 Sunnis.[1][2][3][4]

Abu Deraa
Native name
اسماعيل حافظ اللامي
Birth nameIsmail Hafiz al-Lami
Nickname(s)Abu Deraa; Shi'ite Zarqawi
AllegianceMahdi Army (formerly)

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.[6]

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.[7] He is thought to have been recently disavowed by Muqtada al-Sadr due to his unmitigated killing sprees.[8]

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.[9]

Attacks
  • Deraa is said to have been responsible for the abduction of scores of Sunnis whose bodies have been recovered from a garbage dump at al-Sada, a lawless wasteland near Sadr City.
  • He allegedly commandeered a fleet of government ambulances with which he lured 40–50 young Sunnis to their deaths, driving the ambulances into the Sunni-dominated quarter of Adhamiyah in Baghdad, announcing over the loudspeakers: "Please give blood for the insurgency! The Shiia are killing your insurgency brothers!'."[10]
  • Abu Deraa is also rumoured to have masterminded the kidnapping of Sunni MP Tayseer al-Mashhadani in July 2006, who was released after two months of captivity.[11]
  • He also is said to have supervised the forced eviction of hundreds of Sunni families from Shiite-dominated areas of the capital and some outlying towns. [12]
  • Deraa is reputed to have overseen the abduction of five British citizens from the Iraqi Finance Ministry on May 29, 2007.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15] 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.[7] 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 from out of Iran.[16] 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.[17]

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.[6]

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

References
  1. Parker, Ned (18 February 2015). Kalin, Stephen; Evans, Dominic (eds.). "Iraq civil war leader rallies Shi'ite fighters against Islamic State". Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  2. "Baghdad Shi'ite militant says fighting for all Iraqis". Reuters. November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008.
  3. Ghosh, Bobby (28 November 2006). "The Face of Iraq's Brutality". Time.
  4. Johnson, Scott C. (12 November 2006). "Iraq: A New Enemy Emerges—'The Shiite Zarqawi'". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  5. Swain, Jon (21 January 2007). "Is this Iraq's most prolific mass killer?". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  6. "Abu Deraa, Accused Mass Killer Of Sunnis Known As The 'Zarqawi Of The Shiites,' Seen In Iraq". International Business Times. 22 June 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. McGeough, Paul (20 December 2006). "Face to face with Iraq's most wanted". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020.
  8. Khalil, Lydia (10 October 2006). "Al-Sadr's Weakening Grip on the Mahdi Army". Terrorism Focus. Vol. III, no. 39. The Jamestown Foundation. pp. 6–7. Archived from the original on 26 April 2007.
  9. "حملة امنية فى العراق للقبض على " ابو دراع " مشعل الفتنة الطائفية - يا…". Archived from the original on 23 April 2014.
  10. "Lawyer's fate sealed with judas kiss". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 August 2006.
  11. "Kidnapped Iraqi lawmaker released, officials say". CNN. 27 August 2006. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.
  12. "أبو درع "رمز" الاقتتال الطائفي بالعراق يظهر مجددا (ملف)". عربي21 (in Arabic). 2016-07-11. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  13. Fletcher, Martin (30 August 2007). "Death squad leader behind abduction of five Britons is named". The Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008.
  14. "Islamic State of Iraq Claims Responsibility for Killing Shi'ite Militia Commander Abu Deraa". SITE Institute. 4 December 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  15. "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"". SITE Institute. 1 December 2006.
  16. "Treasury Designates Individuals, Entity Fueling Iraqi Insurgency" (Press release). United States Department of the Treasury. 9 January 2008. HP-759. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010.
  17. "Butcher of Baghdad 'returns' amid turmoil". United Press International. 30 August 2010. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  18. Von Tunzelmann, Alex (20 January 2015). "Is American Sniper historically accurate?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
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