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Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis | |
|---|---|
أبو مهدي المهندس | |
 Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis | |
| Deputy Chairman of Popular Mobilization Committee | |
| In office 15 June 2014 – 3 January 2020 | |
| Secretary-General of Kata'ib Hezbollah | |
| In office October 2003 – 3 January 2020 | |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad al-Hamidawi |
| Member of Iraqi Parliament | |
| In office 2006–2007 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jamal Ja'far Muhd. Ali Al Ibrahim 16 November 1954 Abu Al-Khaseeb, Basra Governorate, Kingdom of Iraq |
| Died | 3 January 2020 (aged 65) Baghdad, Iraq |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Political party | Islamic Dawa Party (1977–2020) |
| Other political affiliations | Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (1985–2020) |
| Committees | Axis of Resistance |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Iraq |
| Branch/service | Popular Mobilization Forces |
| Years of service | 1979–2020 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Unit | Kata'ib Hezbollah Badr Brigade (formerly) |
| Battles/wars | |
Jamal Ja'far Muhammad Ali Al Ibrahim (Arabic: جمال جعفر محمد علي آل إبراهيم Jamāl Jaʿfar Muḥammad ʿAlīy ʾĀl ʾIbrāhīm, 16 November 1954 – 3 January 2020), better known by his kunya Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (Arabic: أبو مهدي المهندس, lit. 'Father of Mahdi, the Engineer'), was an Iraqi paramilitary leader and former commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). At the time of his death, he was deputy chief of the PMF and regarded as one of Iraq's most powerful men.[1]
From 1977, he was an opponent of Saddam Hussein. He became the commander of volunteer militias that grew from the need to combat ISIS, including the Kata'ib Hezbollah paramilitary group,[2][3] which is designated a terror organisation by the governments of Japan, the US and the UAE;[4] and prior to that worked with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) against Saddam's regime.[5] Muhandis was on the United States list of designated terrorists since 2009.[6]
Allegations of terrorism have been levelled against him over his activities in Kuwait in the 1980s.[7][8] He was sentenced to death in absentia in 2007[9] by a court in Kuwait for his involvement in the 1983 Kuwait bombings.[10][6][11] However, this has been disputed due to his role in combating the Ba’ath Party regime rather than supporting it (via attacking Kuwait).[citation needed] The charges were dropped when the new Iraqi government was formed in 2004.[citation needed] The organisations he oversaw, such as the Popular Mobilization Forces have been reported to have close links to the IRGC's Quds Force. Al-Muhandis was held responsible for planning the attack on the American embassy in Baghdad in late December 2019.[12]
He was tracked down and killed by a targeted U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on 3 January 2020, which also killed the head of Iran's expeditionary Quds Force Qasem Soleimani.[13]
- ^ Bulos, Nabih (6 January 2020). "The U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general also eliminated another key player". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis: Iraqi killed in US strike was key militia figure". theguardian. 3 January 2020.
- ^ Melman, Yossi. "Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Head of pro-Iranian Kataib Hezbollah Targeted by U.S." Haaretz.
- ^ "カタイブ・ヒズボラ（KH） | 国際テロリズム要覧（Web版） | 公安調査庁". 2 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Babakwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Treasury Designates Individual, Entity Posing Threat to Stability in Iraq". www.treasury.gov. 2 July 2009. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015.
- ^ "Iraqi Army still ineffective despite U.S. training". Newsweek. Reuters. 4 June 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Othmanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Inside the plot by Iran's Soleimani to attack U.S. forces in Iraq". Reuters. 4 January 2020 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ Glanz, James; Santora, Marc (7 February 2007). "Iraqi lawmaker was convicted in 1983 bombings in Kuwait that killed 5". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ^ Lawrence, John (26 May 2015). "Iraq Situation Report: May 23–25, 2015". understandingwar.org. Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 27 May 2015. See paragraph 5 of the report.
- ^ Dozier, Kimberly (2 September 2020). ""Benghazi Definitely Crossed Everyone's Mind": The Inside Story of the U.S. Embassy Attack in Baghdad". Time Magazine.
- ^ Hassan, Falih; Rubin, Alissa J.; Crowley, Michael (2 January 2020). "Iraqi TV Reports Strike Kills Powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 January 2020.