Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi

Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi
Born
Mohammed Abdullah

Yemen
Other namesAbu al-Baraa el-Azdi
CitizenshipYemeni
Organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Mohammed Abdullah, also known as Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi, is a Yemeni[1] militant and member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Both names are noms de guerre. He was reported to originally be a preacher who joined ISIL in Syria.

He rose to prominence in mid-November 2014 when ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appointed him Emir and leader of the city of Derna in Libya, soon after the partial takeover of the city by ISIL and declaration of the Wilayah Barqah (Province of Eastern Libya).[2] He also became the city's top religious judge.[3]

ISIL regularly appoints foreigners to key government positions.[4]

  1. ^ "How a Libyan city joined the Islamic State group". Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Libyan city is first outside Syria, Iraq to join ISIS". Haaretz.com. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  3. ^ Cruickshank, Paul; Robertson, Nic; Lister, Tim; Karadsheh, Jomana (18 November 2014). "ISIS comes to Libya". CNN. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  4. ^ Karouny, Mariam (4 September 2014). "In northeast Syria, Islamic State builds a government". Retrieved 21 November 2014.