Abu Muslim al-Turkmani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Fadel Ahmed Abdullah al-Hiyali |
| Born | c. 1959 |
| Died | August 18, 2015(2015-08-18) (aged 55–56) |
| Allegiance |
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| Branch | Special Republican Guard(until mid to late 1990s) Military of ISIL(8 April 2013 – 18 August 2015) |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel(up until mid to late 1990s) Deputy Leader of theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq (8 April 2013 – 18 August 2015) |
| Battles / wars | |
Fadel Ahmed Abdullah al-Hiyali (died 18 August 2015), better known by hisnoms de guerreAbu Muslim al-Turkmani (Arabic:أبو مسلم التركماني),Haji Mutazz, orAbu Mutaz al-Qurashi,[4] was theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) governor for territories held by the organization inIraq. He was considered the ISIL second-in-command (along with his counterpartAbu Ali al-Anbari, who held a similar position inSyria); he played a political role of overseeing the local councils and a military role that included directing operations against opponents of ISIL.[5] His names were also speltFadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, andHajji Mutazz.
An ethnicTurkmen born inTal Afar,Nineveh Governorate, al-Hiyali was an Iraqi Army Colonel underSaddam Hussein.[1][5][6] According to documents discovered in Iraq, al-Hiyali was a lieutenant colonel in the Iraqi military's intelligence unitIstikhbarat (Directorate of General Military Intelligence), who also spent time as a Special Forces officer in theSpecial Republican Guard right up until the US-led2003 invasion of Iraq.[7][8] He also fought in theGulf War[9] prior to his dismissal from the Iraqi Army afterUS forces arrived, and later joinedSunni insurgents to fight the Americans.[5] He was later made the deputy leader of ISIL in Iraq on 8 April 2013.[9] Like other ISIL leaders, al-Turkmani spent time in a US prison in Iraq, specificallyCamp Bucca.[10][11] During Ba'ath rule, he practiced aSufi-leaning form of moderate Islam before being radicalised.[5]
However, according to an obituary for deputy leaderAbu Ali al-Anbari published by ISIS after his death, al-Hiyali had actually been radicalized and recruited by al-Anbari who had been preaching Islamic extremism in and around Tel Afar in the mid to late 1990s. The biography states that al-Hiyali had renounced his loyalty to Saddam Hussein and rejected Ba'athism and left the Iraqi army to join Abu Ali al-Anbari in pledging allegiance toAnsar al-Islam, providing important logistical aid and training to jihadist networks.[2] This would mean that al-Hiyali was a jihadist long before the US-led invasion of Iraq. This close association between Abu Ali al-Anbari and al-Hiyali would endure during their jihadist career, with Abu Muslim eventually leaving Ansar al-Islam and joiningJama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (which subsequently becameAl-Qaeda in Iraq) around 2003 when Al-Qaduli (Abu Ali al-Anbari) did so after spending time withZarqawi.[3]
He oversaw ISIL-designated governors in various cities and regions of Iraq, including identified shadow governors in areas that ISIL did not control, but had aspirations over.[8] "I describe Baghdadi as a shepherd, and his deputies are the dogs who herd the sheep (ISIL members); the strength of the shepherd comes from his dogs." saidHisham al-Hashimi, a security analyst who had access to documents discovered which provided details on al-Hiyali.[7][8]
In a June 2015 article inThe New York Times, al-Turkmani was said to have been the head of ISIL’s military council. He reportedly led the council of six to nine military commanders who directed the terrorist group's military strategy, according to Laith Alkhouri, a senior analyst at Flashpoint Global Partners.[4]
Al-Hiyali, despite being a Turkmen, did nothing to stop theIraqi Turkmen genocide in which even Sunni Turkmen were targeted. He also was at the forefront ofthe genocide against the Yezidi people including the enslavement of the women and girls, personally raping captives[12] and executing prisoners despite pleas for mercy.[13]
There were erroneous reports of his death in airstrikes on 7 November 2014 and again in December 2014. This was believed to have been due to a case of mistaken identity and his death was not confirmed by ISIL.[14][15][16][17][4]
Al-Turkmani was killed by a USdrone strike while travelling in a car near Mosul, Iraq on 18 August 2015.[14][15] His death was confirmed by ISIL official spokesman and senior leaderAbu Mohammad al-Adnani in an audio recording posted on jihadist websites in October 2015.[18] He was succeeded as the ISIL leader in Iraq byAbu Fatima al-Jaheishi.[19]
