Haji Bakr

Haji Bakr
Birth nameSamir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi
Nickname(s)'Knight of the Silencers'[1]
'Lord of the Shadows'[2]
Bornca. 1958–1964[2]
Iraq
DiedJanuary 2014 (late fifties)[2]
Tell Rifaat, Syria
Allegiance Baathist Iraq (unknown–2003)

Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (2003–2004)
Al-Qaeda (2004–2013)

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–2014)
Service / branchIraqi Army (until 2003)
ISIL military (8 April 2013 – January 2014)
RankColonel (until 2003)
ISIL Military Chief and overall leader of ISIL in Syria
(April 2010 – January 2014)[3]
Battles / wars1991 Iraq War
2003 Iraq War
Iraqi insurgency

Syrian Civil War

Samir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi (c. 1958-1964 – January 2014), better known by the pseudonym Haji Bakr and sometimes his kunya Abu Bakr al-Iraqi,[4] was a senior leader of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), heading its Military Council and leading its operations in Syria, prior to his killing by Syrian rebels in January 2014.[2][5] Previously a Colonel in the Iraqi Intelligence Service, papers found after his death indicated that al-Khlifawi played a key role in devising the plans ISIL used to conquer and administer territory in Syria and Iraq.[2]

  1. ^ "Opaque structure adds to challenge of defeating Isis". Financial Times. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014. (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference ChReuter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "ISIS confirms death of senior leader in Syria". Long War Journal. February 2014.
  4. ^ "ISIS confirms death of senior leader in Syria | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Military skill and terrorist technique fuel success of ISIS". The New York Times. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.