Draft:Abu Ala al-Afari
| Name | Abdul Rahman Mustafa |
|---|---|
| Alias | Abu Ala al-Afari |
| Year of Birth | 1957 or 1959 CE |
| Year of Death | May 13, 2015 CE |
| Place of Birth | Nineveh city, Iraq |
Abu Ala al-Afari, whose real name was Abdul Rahman Mustafa and who was also known among ISIS militants as Abu Sajji, served as the interim leader of ISIS following the injury of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. After Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was injured[1] and became unable to maintain direct leadership of ISIS, al-Afari was chosen as his temporary successor. On May 14, 2014, Abu Ala was placed on the U.S. Department of the Treasury's specially designated terrorists list[2]. On May 5, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced a reward of $7 million for information leading to the capture or killing of al-Afari[3]. On May 12, 2015, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense reported that Abu Ala had been killed alongside dozens of ISIS militants in an airstrike by coalition forces led by the United States in Tal Afar[4]. The U.S. government has not yet confirmed reports of his death.
Life
Abu Ala was born in 1957 or 1959 near the area of "al-Hadr," located 80 kilometers south of Mosul in Nineveh[5]. According to Newsweek magazine, citing Hashim al-Hashimi, an advisor to the Iraqi government, he was formerly a physics teacher at a secondary school in the "al-Hadr" region, southwest of Mosul, and is believed to have been an Iraqi Turkmen[6].
Tenure in Al-Qaeda
In 1998, al-Afari traveled to Afghanistan and was appointed as one of the commanders of the group by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Following the deaths of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leaders of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, nominated him in 2010 to lead Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Afghanistan, Iraq, and Al-Qaeda
Al-Afari was among the first individuals to join Al-Qaeda, traveling to Afghanistan in 1998 for what they termed jihad, where he met Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the organization. After leaving Afghanistan in 2004 and returning to Iraq, he joined Al-Qaeda in Iraq, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and was selected as the local leader of Al-Qaeda in Mosul. Following the deaths of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri in a joint airstrike by U.S. and Iraqi forces, Osama bin Laden nominated him in 2010 to lead Al-Qaeda in Iraq[7].
Syrian Civil War and ISIS
His personality traits, moral characteristics, and charisma led Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to invite him to join his ranks; after the formation of what was called the Islamic State of Iraq, or ISIS, al-Baghdadi appointed him as his deputy and first successor[8]. Subsequently, al-Afari held numerous prominent positions within ISIS, including heading the ISIS Shura Council, which effectively made him the group's chief religious jurist (Mufti), and serving as the deputy to the Caliph, given that, according to ISIS's power structure, he was the individual closest to al-Baghdadi in religious authority[9]. Holding these positions brought al-Afari increasing fame and prominence, even transforming him into a figure within ISIS who, at times, appeared more significant than al-Baghdadi himself[10]. Hashim al-Hashimi, an advisor to the Iraqi government, described him as an intelligent individual and an effective leader for ISIS. The ISIS charter stipulates that the Caliph must be Arab, Qurayshi, Hashemite, and Sunni; due to his Turkmen origin, Abu Ala faced difficulties in securing allegiance (bay'ah)[11].
Death
On May 13, 2015 (4 Ordibehesht 1394 SH), the Iraqi Ministry of Defense also announced the killing of several ISIS leaders, including Abu Ala al-Afari, during military operations conducted by Iraqi forces in cooperation with the so-called International Coalition forces in Nineveh Province, Iraq[12].