Abu Ali al-Anbari
| Abu Ali al-Anbari | |
|---|---|
 Abu Ali al-Anbari[1] | |
| Born |
c. 1970 Mosul, Nineveh Province, Iraq[2][3][4] |
| Allegiance |
.svg.png){kind=small} Baathist Iraq (1990s–2003)  Ansar al-Islam (2003–2004/05)  Islamic State of Iraq (Until April 2013) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (April 2013–present) |
| Service/branch |
Iraqi Army (1990's–2003) ISIS military (8 April 2013–present) |
| Rank |
Major General (up until 2003) Deputy Leader of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria (8 April 2013–present) |
| Battles/wars |
Iraq Syria |
Abu Ali al-Anbari (Arabic: أبو علي الأنباري) is a nom de guerre for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) governor for territories held by the organization in Syria. Considered the second-in-command (along with his counterpart Abu Muslim al-Turkmani (KIA) who held a similar position in Iraq), he played a political role of overseeing the local councils and acted as a kind of political envoy. His military role included directing operations against both other Syrian rebels who oppose President Bashar al-Assad's government and the Syrian government itself.[5]
Biography
Early life and the Ba'ath regime
An ethnic Turkmen, al-Anbari is believed to be from the Iraqi city of Mosul in Nineveh province. He was said to be a Ba’ath party activist before 2003. He was also a former Iraqi Army officer under Saddam Hussein during the 1990s and attained the rank of Major General up until the regime's fall in 2003.[3][6][7] Despite being referenced as a former physics teacher prior to the Invasion of Iraq, it is likely that he was confused with fellow ISIL leader Abu Ala al-Afri[4]
After invasion of Iraq
After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he was briefly a member of Ansar al-Islam, a Sunni insurgent group, until he was ejected amid financial corruption allegations.[5] In 2004 or 2005, he eventually joined al-Qaeda in Iraq under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and rose through the ranks of the organisation before Zarqawi ordered that neither he nor any of his associates would be assigned to an emirate due to an apparent power struggle over the emirship of Mosul.[5][7][8]
Rise of ISIL
Al-Anbari's role within the group became clear after a raid in 2014 on the home of another ISIL figure, Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, al-Baghdadi's military chief of staff for Iraqi territory. Memory sticks found during the raid, in which al-Bilawi was killed, identified al-Anbari as the head of all ISIS military and non-military operations within Syria.[9]
According to one ex-member of the group, al-Anbari was also a member of the Shura Council. Another account put him as head of the powerful Intelligence and Security Council. He appears to have appointed Abu Yahya al Iraqi, who is with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at all times, to act as a channel between them.[6]
Reportedly his knowledge of Shariah Islamic rules isn't considered as extensive as that of other senior leaders according to militants interviewed.[5]
"I describe Baghdadi as a shepherd, and his deputies are the dogs who herd the sheep [ISIL's members], the strength of the shepherd comes from his dogs." said Hisham al-Hashimi, a security analyst who had access to documents discovered which provided details on al-Anbari.[3]
Deputy leader of ISIL?
In March 2015, it was rumored that current leader of ISIL, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had suffered injuries including spinal damage leaving him incapacitated.[10] This led to speculation that al-Anbari would ascend to the role of deputy of the group—in Arabic, na’ib al-malik, or Viceroy. As a former Major-General, Head of the ISIL Security Council and leader of ISIL operations in Syria, this makes al-Anbari appear as a potential contender for the position. However, his previous experience in Saddam's military might make al-Anbari an unpopular choice among foreign fighters and more militant Salafists inside the group.[9] Analyst Michael Weiss said, "It would be very unlikely that a known ex-Saddam military officer would be appointed caliph. Also, al-Anbari's role is better suited as kingmaker for the organization although he does have or had a prominent public presence."[9] According to Middle-east analyst Hassan Hassan, Abu Ala al-Afri, an influential member within ISIL, was believed to have replaced al-Anbari as al-Baghdadi's second-in-command.[11]
Conflicting reports of travel death or injury
In November 2015, the New York Times reported that al-Anbari had recently arrived in Libya by boat, where the group has established a powerful branch centered in the city of Sirte.[12] On 12 December 2015, al-Anbari was reported by Iraq media to have been killed in an airstrike by the Iraqi Army, near the border with northeastern Syria.[13] However, later reports indicate that he is still alive, and hospitalized for injuries.[14] On 30 April 2016, ISIL acknowledged al-Anbari's death the previous month and launched a military offense across Iraq and Syria in his name.[15]
Confusion over identity
In April 2016, The Daily Beast reported that Abu Ali al-Anbari and Abu Ala al-Afri, previously identified as separate senior ISIL leaders, were in fact aliases for the same individual, Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Shakhilar al-Qaduli. The report claimed that Iraqi and American security officials had been confused by his multiple noms de guerre, and that many of the biographical details previously reported, such as his past as a senior officer in the Iraqi military, were incorrect.[16]
References
- ↑ "Anatomy of ISIS". 2014. Retrieved January 2015.
- ↑ "The Islamic State" (PDF). Soufan Group. November 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Inside the leadership of Islamic State: how the new 'caliphate' is run". Telegraph. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- 1 2 "Profile of the Islamic State’s Leader in Syria: Abu Ali al-Anbari". 25 September 2015. Retrieved 17 march 2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - 1 2 3 4 "Brutal Efficiency: The Secret to Islamic State's Success". Wall Street Journal. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- 1 2 "The Islamic State" (PDF). Soufan Group. November 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- 1 2 "Abu Ali al-Anbari". Counter Extremism Project. 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ↑ http://fundforfallenallies.org/news/2014/09/25/here-finalized-osc-translation-aq-loyalist-abu-ahmads-account-isil-and-its-origins
- 1 2 3 "Who might lead ISIS if al-Baghdadi dies?". CNN. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ↑ "Isis leader incapacitated with suspected spinal injuries after air strike". The Guardian. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ↑ "ISIS Replace Injured Leader Baghdadi With Former Physics Teacher". Newsweek. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ↑ "ISIS’ Grip on Libyan City Gives It a Fallback Option". The New York Times. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ↑ Salar Qassim (12 December 2015). "Baghdadi’s advisor killed in Iraqi raid". aranews.net. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ↑ Middle East Regional Intelligence to 16th December 2015
- ↑ "Series of deadly operations named after fallen Islamic State leader". Long War Journal. 2 May 2016.
- ↑ "Everything We Knew About This ISIS Mastermind Was Wrong". The Daily Beast. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.