Ismail al-Lami

Ismail al-Lami, also known as Abu Diraa (Arabic,أبو درع), is a senior commander in the Shiite Mahdi Army militia in Iraq and is known for his deep hatred of Arab Sunnis. He has become somewhat of a hero among the Baghdad's Shiite poor, who seek vengeance for years of Sunni rule in Iraq and the bombing of the al-Askari Shiite shrine in Samarra.

Background

Al-Lami, once a fish dealer, is originally from the Maysan Province in southern Iraq, but now resides in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad. He cannot read or write. Al-Lami is the father of at least 12 children from two marriages, one of whom, Haidar, was wounded in a raid on October 25, 2006.

According to a neighbor of al-Lami in Sadr City and anonymous Mehdi Army militiamen, al-Lami participated in a series of revolts in Sadr City against U.S. forces throughout 2004. He has been described as "brave and serious" by Amer al-Husseini, a senior aide to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and as "the shield of the city" by a Sadr City resident.

Anecdotes of al-Lami's brutality have spread rapidly throughout Baghdad, and he enjoys increasing support among Shiite poor. The Sunni victims of al-Lami's militia have showed various signs of torture, including decapitation and holes bored through their bodies with electric drills.

In late October 2006, U.S. and Iraqi forces swept into Sadr City in an unsuccessful search for al-Lami, killing his teenage son Haidar. They hold al-Lami responsible for a rash of sectarian killings and kidnappings of Iraqi Sunnis in Baghdad. The raid frustrated Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who considers Sadr City a vital support base.