He is called Abu Azrael (or the “Angel of Death” in Arabic) and is often seen and photographed carrying swords and axes into battle. He is rumored to be a former commander within the Iman Ali Brigade and has personally killed over 500 ISIS fighters in combat.
He is representative of tens of thousands of men who joined the fight against ISIS after a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued an emotional call to arms in Friday prayers in mid June 2014.
Who exactly he is remains unclear. But what is clear is that he has been popping up in more and more video of those fighting directly against ISIS. His fame has steadily grown and his name has become a battle cry against ISIS.
We also ran across video of this same man in combat, where he certainly appears in the thick of things. See video: Iraqi Special forces fight ISIS at Balad Air Base https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11zQ1TMtTRI
See also related video: Angel Of Death: Meet ISIS’ Worst Nightmare https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQjB-7rrov0
In one video in particular he is seen carrying a axe in one hand a machine gun in the other.
See also: Axe Wielding University Lecturer Battles ISIS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzlsQrOjak0
Azu Azrael is rumored to have killed 500 ISIS fighters
See video: This man has killed over 500 from ISIS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqD-lxmZe4A
According to the Daily Mail the man is believed to be a former university lecturer that left home in June 2014 to join the fight against the Islamic State. He is also rumored to be a former national Taekwondo champion in Iraq. Both could also be true? But no one I have been able to talk to knows for sure. He is rumored to have been trained by US forces, and was pictured wearing the insignia of Iraqi Special Forces unit.