Abu Azrael

Ayyub Faleh Hassan al-Rubaie (أيوب فالح حسن الربيعي born 1978), known by his nom de guerre Abu Azrael (أبو عزرائيل, literally "Father of Azrael"), also known as the "Angel of Death" (ملأك الموت), is a commander of the Kataib al-Imam Ali, an Iraqi Shi'a militia group of the Popular Mobilization Forces that is fighting ISIS in Iraq. He has become a public icon of resisting ISIS in Iraq among Shia Iraqis with a large following on social media. His motto and catchphrase is "Ella Tahin" (إلّا طحين), literally meaning "Until/into dust" interpreted to mean "Grind you to dust."

Abu Azrael was a former militia member in Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army which fought against the United States during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Personal life
Abu Azrael is described in various sources as a Shia Muslim who is a 40-year-old former university lecturer and a one-time Taekwondo champion. According to an Iranian source, he has a master's degree in physical education. Reports from March 2015 claimed that Azrael is a father of five, and lives an "ordinary life" when not on the battlefield.

Following incidents where he was filmed desecrating the corpses of ISIS fighters, Azrael stated that he had been told by a senior imam in Najaf that he should pray for penance and "never do such a thing again".

Public image
Abu Azrael is currently fighting against ISIS although he has also fought against other militant groups. He has attracted attention in the Middle East, but by the spring of 2015, he had also made front-page appearances on international news websites in England, France and the United States.

He has received a medal of honor from the Representative of the Supreme Religious Authority Sayyid Ahmad al-Safi.

In 2016, he was spotted on the battlefield in the Battle of Mosul.