Neaman Salman Mansour al-Zaidi (Arabic: نيمان سلمان منصور الزيدي; died 24 February 2011), known as Abu Suleiman al-Naser (Arabic: أبو سليمان الناصر), was the military commander or "War Minister" of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) during the Iraq War.[1]
Abu Suleiman al-Naser | |
|---|---|
| أبو سليمان الناصر | |
 | |
| War Minister of the Islamic State of Iraq | |
| In office April 18, 2010 – February 24, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Abu Hamza al-Muhajir |
| Succeeded by | Haji Bakr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Neaman Salman Mansour al-Zaidi نيمان سلمان منصور الزيدي Rawa, Iraq |
| Died | 24 February 2011 Hīt, Iraq |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Islamic State of Iraq (October 2006 – February 2011) |
| Years of service | Unknown–2011 |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Little is known about Abu Suleiman. He is said to have been born into an ethnic Sunni Arab family in Rawah. He reportedly trained at a JTJ fighter camp in Rawa, Iraq, which was raided by US forces in 2003 and imprisoned at Camp Bucca.[2] He succeeded Abu Ayyub al-Masri as Minister of War for the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) on 18 April 2010 with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as its new emir, after al-Masri and ISI leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi were killed in an operation by US and Iraqi forces in Tikrit. Abu Suleiman's appointment was announced in a statement in which he used the nom de guerre Al-Nasser Lideen Allah Abu Suleiman (Arabic: الناصر لدين الله أبو سليمان), meaning "Defender of God’s Religion, Father of Suleiman".[3] He is reported to have been a detainee at Camp Bucca prison,[4] and served as the ISI's leader in Anbar Province under the nom de guerre Abu Ibrahim al-Ansari.[5] Following his appointment as Minister of War for the Islamic State of Iraq, Abu Suleiman warned Iraqi Shia Muslims that "dark days soaked with blood lie ahead". On 14 May 2010, an attacker targeting Shiites detonated explosives hidden inside a vehicle in Tal Afar at the entrance to a football stadium, killing ten people and injuring 120 others.[6]
Iraqi security forces claimed to have killed Abu Suleiman on 24 February 2011, in the city of Hīt, west of Baghdad.[1] However, ISI denied that al-Naser was killed a month later.[7] Despite this, ISI spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani confirmed al-Naser's death in August 2011.[8] ISI also released a statement confirming al-Naser's death in August 2011.[9]
A report by Al Jazeera's Center for Studies, and an analysis of ISIL's leadership structure by a purported insider, also confirmed that Abu Suleiman had in fact been killed in 2011, and that following his death, the position of "War Minister" was replaced by a military council composed of former regime military officers under the leadership of Haji Bakr.[10][11]
References
edit- ^ a b "Iraqi forces kill al-Qaida 'war minister' in raid". The Washington Post. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Top 5 Islamic State leaders we must kill REVEALED". Daily Star. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Al Qaeda in Iraq's security minister captured in Anbar". December 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Photos of AQI's top 2 leaders". Long War Journal. 3 December 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ "اخبار العراق الان من السومرية نيوز". www.alsumaria.tv. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^ "New al Qaeda in Iraq chief vows blood-soaked days". 14 May 2010.
- ^ "ISI Denies Death Of Its Minister Of War". Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ The State of Islam Will Remain Safe
- ^ "Al Qaeda suicide bomber kills 28 Iraqis in attack in Baghdad mosque". The Long War Journal. 28 August 2011.
- ^ Hassan Abu Haniyeh. "Daesh's Organisational Structure".
- ^ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (24 January 2016). "An Account of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi & Islamic State Succession Lines".