,
11 tweets,
4 min read
Read on Twitter
According to Reuters in 2017 the other “leading contender” to replace Al Baghdadi was Iyad al Obeidi aka Abu Saleh Haifa, “al sheykh al mujahid” (means: very important guy). Killed in West Mosul during the final stage of the battle for the city. Keeping it short. Here’s the bio 
We study such figures to understand the next line of leaders of the Islamic State. People like Abu Yahya al Iraqi and Abu Saleh Haifa are the backbone of the Islamic State 1) They joined terrorism before the foundation of the Islamic State of Iraq 2) They spent time in jail
While the identity of Abu Yahia al Iraqi is still controversial (from Fallujah or from Baghdad? Al Hayani or al Jumaili? And that fuzziness of the pics), Abu Saleh Haifa was less tight over the years
Exhibit B, Abu Saleh Haifa on the left
The wood panel mugshot in Camp Bucca. Of course
Here’s the official pic of Abu Saleh Haifa for the Islamic State. You may notice a few topos of the senior leaders: Abbasid Black Clothes and the Pen in the Pocket. From a mugshot in Bucca to their “Abbasid reenactement”. Syrian background, I’d bet. I’m not saying anything new
Previous tweet – Someone else is together with Abu Saleh Haifa in the original picture for sure, someday we’ll know. Probably the wizards of geolocation can find that place.
Another topos of the senior leaders of the Islamic State: the American Weapon. Here Abu Saleh Haifa (right) is with Abu Walid al Muhajir, a Saudi aide of Umar al Shishani (you may remember him during the Idlib wild months in 2013).
The bio says Abu Saleh Haifa replaced Umar al Shishani in Iraq (Shishani died in July 2016) as أميرًا لهيئة الحرب, which is “a commander for the War Department” – this helps to determine the rank of Umar al Shishani (at last!). Different opinions most welcome
I think that tribal marker “al Obeidi” brings us to an important part of the story of Abu Saleh Haifa of the Islamic State (real name: Iyad al Obeidi) but I’m not an expert in Iraqi tribes and I’d leave that to more informed people
Thanks to @il_kanguru, who accepted the geolocation challenge and solved it. The picture of Abu Saleh Haifa was taken in al Bab, a Syrian town north-east of Aleppo liberated in February 2017 (many important leaders spent time there). In the background the Mosque Fatima al Zahra
