Abu Deraa
| Abu Deraa | |
|---|---|
| Native name | اسماعيل حافظ اللامي |
| Birth name | Ismail Hafez Al-Lami |
| Nickname(s) | Abu Deraa |
| Born | Tigris-Euphrates marshlands, Iraq |
| Allegiance | Mahdi Army (formerly) |
Ismail Hafidh Al-Lami — known as "Abu Deraa" (Arabic: أبو درع, "Father of the Shield") — is an Iraqi Shia warlord whose men have been accused of terrorizing and killing Sunnis. His aim has apparently been to avenge Shia deaths at the hands of Sunni militants in Iraq, though he has stated that he is fighting for all Iraqis and only targets the 'occupiers'.
Little is known about Abu Deraa's background, however, judging by his surname, he probably hails from the Ma'dan Bani Lam tribe. He is believed to have fled to Sadr City as a refugee, having fled to Baghdad following the destruction of the Shiite villages in Iraq's southern marshes. 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. He is thought to have been recently disavowed, at least tacitly, by Muqtada al-Sadr due to his unmitigated killing sprees.
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 from Sunnis.
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. 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. It has been claimed that he had taken part in a by-proxy interview with Sydney Morning Herald conducted by veteran Middle East correspondent Paul McGeough on December 20, 2006. His first exclusive interview was with Reuters news agency published on November 16, 2006.
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Wikipedia