Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi

Adnan Ismail Najm Abdullah al-Dulaimi
Born 1971
Al-Khalidiya, Iraq
Died 4 June 2014 (aged 43)
Near Mosul, Iraq
Allegiance Baathist Iraq (1993–2003)
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2003–2014)
Service/branch Iraqi Army (1993–2003)
Military of ISIL (8 April 2013–4 June 2014)
Rank Captain (1993-2003)
Commander of ISIL Military Council
(January 2014–4 June 2014)[1]
Battles/wars

2003 Iraq War
Iraqi insurgency

Adnan Ismail Najm al-Bilawi Al-Dulaimi, better known by the nom de guerre Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, was a top commander in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the head of its Military Council, prior to his killing by Iraqi security forces on 4 June 2014.[2][3]

Biography

Al-Bilawi belonged to the Al-bu Bali clan of the Dulaim, the largest tribe in the Iraqi Anbar Province. His tribe formed the nucleus of the resistance/insurgency against U.S. forces in Iraq. The Dulaimis returned to the armed insurgency in 2014. After that the Iraqi army kidnapped Sunni MP Ahmed al-Alwani from Dulaim (Albo-alon clan).

Al-Bilawi led the battles of Samarra and Mosul and he was killed during the campaign.

According to Ahmad Khalaf al-Dulaimi, the governor of Anbar, he taught him when they were both at the Iraqi Military Academy. Al-Bilawi graduated in 1993 and went on to become an infantry officer in the Iraqi military, achieving the rank of Captain.[3][4]

After the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, al-Bilawi joined al-Qaida in Iraq and worked closely with its then-leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Najm al-Bilawi was detained by American forces in 2005 in Camp Bucca.[4][5][6] Al-Bilawi was one of the approximately 500 prisoners who escaped from Abu Ghraib prison in July 2013, following a raid and mass jailbreak by members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[7][8]

Following his escape, he became a member of ISIL’s Military Council and had a major role in planning and leading the groups military offensive in Northern and Central Iraq.[5] Al-Bilawi was killed on 5 June 2014 by Iraqi security forces in Mosul. ISIL named the military operation that resulted in their seizure of Mosul on 9 June 2014 Bilawi Vengeance, a reference to his alias.[3]

Following his death in an Iraqi military raid, a laptop belonging to al-Bilawi revealed high quality intelligence on the operations and leadership structure of ISIL.[9] His death was acknowledged by ISIL's official spokesman, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, in a June 2014 statement that praised his contributions to the group.[5] He was reportedly succeeded by Adnan al-Sweidawi as leader of the ISIS Military Council.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Military Skill and Terrorist Technique Fuel Success of ISIS". New York Times. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Chulov, Martin (15 June 2014). "How an arrest in Iraq revealed Isis's $2bn jihadist network". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Revealed: the Islamic State 'cabinet', from finance minister to suicide bomb deployer". The Telegraph. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Military Skill and Terrorist Technique Fuel Success of ISIS". New York Times. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Kurdish Fighters Take a Key Oil City as Militants Advance on Baghdad". New York Times. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Exclusive: Top ISIS leaders revealed". Al Arabiya. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Source: al Qaeda leader urged affiliate to 'do something'". CNN. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Al Qaeda says it freed 500 inmates in Iraq jail-break". Reuters. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Inside the leadership of Islamic State: how the new 'caliphate' is run". The Telegraph. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.