ISIS has found its worst nightmare and Iraqi troops have found their savior in the form of the ‘Angel of Death.’ The thick-bearded, ax-wielding warrior has emerged as the most notable fighter of the Imam Ali brigade, an Iraqi Shi’a militia group.
Only known as Abu Azrael (Angel of Death in Arabic), he is clearly a man of mystery, but according to the Daily Mail, the 40-year-old is believed to be a former university lecturer that left home in June 2014 to join the fight against the Islamic State. He is also rumored to be a former national Taekwondo champion in Iraq. The warrior has quickly grown to become a social media sensation as more and more pictures and videos of Abu Azrael are uploaded.
Most of his pictures on his fan page show him sporting weapons such as his trademark ax and a rifle. Other post include videos of Abu Azrael and fellow fighters relaxing after battle. A popular video depicts Abu Azrael taunting ISIS members via a captured radio. He tells ISIS, over the radio that they have no support or supplies and he is in Tikrit to kick their a*s!
The Iraqis are behind him because he is not afraid to call out his enemies face to face and hunt them down.
In January, Abu Azrael was captured on video (below) protecting Balad Air base from an ISIS attack. Balad used to be one of the largest air bases in Iraq for U.S. troops.
Iraq’s Elite Counter Terrorism Division posted this video of Abu Azrael
According to the Daily Caller, his reasons for joining the fight may have been after a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a call to arms in Friday prayers in mid June 2014. Imam Ali brigade, the group Abu Azrael fights with, is heavily sponsored by Iran.
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