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| Saddam al-Jamal | |
|---|---|
| صدام الجمل | |
| Born | Saddam Omar Yahya al-Jamal صدام عمر يحيى الجمل 1987 Abu Kamal, Syria |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Years active | 2011–2018 |
Saddam Omar al-Jamal (Arabic: صدام عمر الجمل; born 1987) also known as Abu Ruqayya al-Ansari (Arabic: أبو رقية الأنصاري) is a Syrian jihadist militant. He is known for taking part in the 2014 massacres of the Al-Shaitat tribe and for his involvement in the death of Jordanian fighter pilot Muath Al-Kasasbeh.
Career
Free Syrian Army
He originally led the Allahu Akbar Brigade, a faction of the Free Syrian Army operating in Deir Ezzor with over 800 fighters. According to Al-Jazeera, "Jamal was not only the leader of a battalion but also a top FSA commander for the whole of Syria's eastern region." He led the Eastern Front of the Supreme Military Council (Syria). The Allahu Akbar brigade was a component of the Ahfad al-Rasul Brigade.
Islamic State
On 16 December 2013, he appeared in a video titled Revealing the biggest conspiracy targeting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, in which he announced that he had joined the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
The degree to which his decision to join ISIL was voluntary is disputed. Some characterize his defection as a form of "surrender" to ISIL after two of his brothers were abducted, his brother's house was bombed, and several of his combatants were killed. During this period, Jamal narrowly evaded an assassination attempt when a man detonated himself at his headquarters. Jamal established a state bank branch.
From 2014 onwards, he served as the ISIL emir for Abu Kamal, Syria, which is his hometown.
In September 2015, he was reportedly appointed as a deputy to Abu Firas al-Iraqi, the governor of the ISIL Euphrates province located on the border between Iraq and Syria.
Saddam al-Jamal and four other commanders were apprehended by Iraqi forces on 9 May 2018 on the Syria-Iraq border.
References
- "حارق الكساسبة إلى الواجهة.. داعشي هز العالم بفظاعته". alarabiya.net. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- Gaydos, Ryan (15 May 2018). "Top ISIS militant captured in raid mastermind behind burning of Jordanian pilot, report says". Fox News. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- "Syrian fighter defects to Qaeda-linked group". Al-Jazeera. France. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad; Labrousse, Cedric (12 April 2014). "The Fighting in Abu Kamal (Albukamal): Background and Analysis". aymennjawad.org. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- Spencer, Richard (11 May 2018). "Isis leader caught in sting using captured colleague". The Times. UK. Retrieved 4 January 2023.