ISIS is now facing dual challenges in Tikrit, as the Iraqi army and Iranian-backed Shia militias are both fighting to recapture the city. The most frightening single nemesis Islamic State militants face, however, is the notorious Abu-Azrael (“Angel of death” in Arabic). He is a legendary commander from the al-Imam Ali brigades, an Iranian proxy group fighting in Iraq. Iraqi social media users are circulating epic images of Abu-Azrael holding axes, waving swords and abusing the corpses of ISIS fighters.
According to local reports, Abu-Azrael’s real name is Ayoub. He worked as a university lecturer before joining the militia. He was also Iraq’s national Taekwondo champion.
Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown, has a great strategic and emotional importance for the country’s Sunni minority, Some local reports claim that the Iraqi and Shia forces have already seized large areas of the city.