From the Biographies of the Distinguished Martyrs: (4) Thamir Mubarak 'Atruz

The fourth “distinguished martyr” in this collection is Thamir Mubarak ‘Atruz, a top Zarqawi lieutenant and key commander in the early days of the insurgency. ‘Atruz was important enough that he attracted US attention in 2003, in no small part due to his role in planning major attacks on civilians and Coalition forces. Abu Ismail al-Muhajir reveals that ‘Atruz planned the first attack on the UN HQ in Baghdad and the bombing of the Imam Ali Shrine which killed Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim.

‘Atruz’s jihadist career highlights a number of key facts about the prewar Iraqi jihadist scene. Muhajir reports that ‘Atruz was an officer in the Baathist army, in which capacity he came to understand “monotheism”–that is, the Salafi Jihadist idea of it–and began to fiercely oppose the Baathist government. ‘Atruz then agitated in the ranks, which earned him the persecution of the Baathist government, forcing him to flee Iraq. He returned to his homeland shortly before the Coalition invasion and participated in jihadist preparations.

There are several conclusions one can draw from Muhajir’s report. First, there was an active Jihadist presence in the ranks of the Iraqi Baathist army. In the 1990s, the Salafi movement deemed it permissible to enter the ranks of the army and police either to agitate or to prevent harm to Jihadists and Muslims. It is plausible that one such Salafi mole influenced ‘Atruz. Second, Salafi Jihadists and the Baathist government hated each other. There was no shared ideological terrain and neither side ever attempted to suggest otherwise. Third, as Nibras Kazimi has suggested,¹ Jihadists were actively seeding Iraq before the war–crucially, separate from AQ’s auspices. Muhajir cryptically reports that ‘Atruz began to work in a “more organized manner” after his return to Iraq. This would suggest that there was a relatively sophisticated jihadist network operating before the war. In turn, this suggests that the Iraqi Jihadist movement had substantially evolved during ‘Atruz’s exile, which accordingly brings us to our third conclusion stated above. Fourth, again taking after Kazimi, there was a pan-Middle Eastern Jihadist network that operated independently of Al Qaida. Muhajir states that ‘Atruz sought refuge in Saudi Arabia. This would indicate the existence of some kind of international network that could assist exiled Jihadists. The report raises several questions: How did ‘Atruz escape Iraq undetected (perhaps leveraging his army connections)? Who sheltered ‘Atruz during his exile (perhaps Saudi Jihadists)? How did he return to Iraq (perhaps an international network)? That he was able to readily rejoin the Iraqi jihadist scene indicates that the movement had reached a level of sophistication even before the war that it could reintegrate presumably “rusty” Jihadists like ‘Atruz.

‘Atruz’s post-invasion jihadist career allows us to draw similarly important conclusions. Muhajir reports that ‘Atruz enthusiastically welcomed the foreign jihadists and soon worked with them. As stated above, he also reports that ‘Atruz was personally responsible, but “deputy emir,” for the UN and Imam Ali Shrine bombings in 2003. Lastly, Muhajir tells us that before the First Battle of Fallujah, ‘Atruz was the leader of a special unit that patrolled the Fallujah desert environs to harass Coalition forces.

We may conclude the following. First, ‘Atruz’s support for the foreign fighters, or muhajirin, highlights how quickly the foreigners–that is, Zarqawi’s network–embedded in and integrated with Iraqi networks. Second, ‘Atruz’s senior role in the two bombings and the special unit indicates that Iraqis very quickly ascended the ranks of Zarqawi’s network aka Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad. This confirms my previous skepticism of the notion that foreigners ever comprised the majority of JTJ (and its successors) for more than a small period in 2003. Third, ‘Atruz’s leadership of the desert patrol unit, which included both Iraqis and foreigners, suggests that JTJ had already reached a significant level of sophistication and integration with Iraqi militias before the First Battle of Fallujah. This is corroborated by details cited in Chapter 4 of The Study of the Insurgency in Anbar Province, which states that none other than Abu Muhammad al-Adnani led an umbrella organization to link JTJ with an Iraqi Salafi Jihadist group. Likewise, JTJ staged a suicide boat attack on oil installations in Basra to reduce pressure on Fallujah.²

In brief, the biography of Thamir Mubarak ‘Atruz is an extremely important resource to understand the early days of the IS movement and of the Iraqi Insurgency. This also highlights the value of in-group biographies to political analysis. ‘Atruz’s story gives us a better retroactive look into the jihadist social networks operating in Iraq and the Middle East in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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In the name of God, the most Gracious, the most Merciful

Al-Hajji³

Thamir Mubarak

He is the brave, daring, and ferocious lion, Hajji Thamir Mubarak ‘Atruz, submissive to his brothers, a fierce tyrant against the enemies of God and His Messenger, a man of distinguished jealousy and rare chivalry. He had high ambition and great humility, born and raised in Anbar; therefore, his personality was a mixture of pride and rejection of humiliation with a love of honoring the guest and protecting the fugitive.

You were worthy of virtue, carrying... and you emerged in the crown of the noblest dignity.

In your pure chest you carry generosity... that eradicates disbelief among the vile infidels.

And you went on the path of jihad, struggling... on the day of adversity when everything was burdened with hardship.

The area where Hajj Thamir grew up was specifically Khalidiyah,⁴ that small town or large village, which is located a stone’s throw from the largest American base in the Middle East, the Habbaniyah base.

The great ansar⁵ was an officer in the former Iraqi army, but he understood monotheism early on and was certain of the infidelity of the Baath and its master [Saddam Husayn], so he began to call others to monotheism, both secretly and openly. When danger approached him, he traveled to the Land of the Two Shrines [Saudi Arabia]. Before the fall of the [Baathist] regime, he returned to his country after the manhunt had subsided and so he resumed his activity. However, this time, he was working in a more organized manner, so he began to prepare for a day that he thought was near, which was the confrontation with the Jews and the Americans. Of course, he did not fire a bullet for the Baath, when Saddam was facing the end of his era against his followers and former supporters from the Crusader West.

Hajj Thamir came from a good family. He was a good, virtuous plant in the middle of a fruitful orchard. His brother, Abu Ubaydah most wanted by the American Marines , and his other brother, Yassir, remained detained until he was released seven days before the death of Hajj [Thamir]. Then the Americans searched for Yassir again. All of his brothers were martyred in the cause of God Almighty, and the American forces arrested one of his sisters to pressure him and bargain with him to surrender himself in exchange for her release. The city of Ramadi came out in full force and besieged the American base. Operations against the Americans escalated, and then the Crusaders felt that they had implicated themselves in this arrest, so they released her. Then, after a while, the Americans pursued all of the relatives of Hajj, his family and his cousins.

I remember among them Bassim, that good, calm and gentle young man. He used to work as a car mechanic and our friend Hajj Thamir was very skilled at driving cars!! Every time he got into a car, he would hit another one, and if he couldn't find one, he would hit a wall. Poor Bassim, his cousin, was always busy–and work was busy for him –because of Hajj Thamir. I once went to ask about Bassim, as he was dear to me, so I was shocked by the news. “Didn't you know?” I said, "What?!" “They said: He was martyred yesterday, along with a friend of his, when they were planting an explosive device for an American patrol. May God have mercy on him.”⁶

Returning to my companion and beloved friend, Hajj Thamir, I say: After he learned about monotheism early on, he was one of the first ansar [supporters] who rushed to work with the muhajirin.⁷

It is enough for you to know that Hajj Thamir was directly responsible and the deputy emir for two of the largest operations in Iraq the year 2003.

The first was the killing of the enemy of God, the creation of the Jews, and the head of the Rafidah [Shiites], Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim.⁸ The second was the first operation at the UN headquarters, which harvested the heads of infidelity, headed by Sergio DeMello, who was America’s favorite face in the war against Muslims in the world, including the operation to separate East Timor from Indonesia and turn it into a Christian state, and the issue of Muslims in Kosovo; then they brought him to complete this mission in Iraq.

In that blessed operation, Nadia Younes,⁹ the Deputy Secretary-General of the Atheist Nations, and a group of American generals [were killed], thank God.

Hajj, may God have mercy on him, did not know comfort, did not like it, and did not tire of working. He would leave his family and children for a long time, then suddenly remember them. When he went to them, he would find them on the verge of starvation, because he lived in a house that no one knew the way to, and his wife was a shy woman who did not leave her house.

Speaking of his family, I had lived with him for a period of time in the early days of the start of the jihad in the Land of Two Rivers. My wife told me that she had never seen a woman like her in terms of religion and kindness, and that she never missed fasting on Mondays and Thursdays of every week. Night prayer was an obligatory duty for her that she never missed. She was a woman of few words but well-mannered, and that was reflected in her upbringing of her two daughters, so that people would know who the wives of the martyrs were and how our brother Hajj Thamir worked hard in his home until he left a good impression on them.

Hajj, may God have mercy on him, did not know the path to shyness in matters of faith, nor did he flatter them. You would see him always proselytizing to everyone he met in the street, young and old. It was impossible for him to ride a taxi and leave its driver without calling him to obey God Almighty. If the driver was listening to music and songs, he would advise him. If he refused, he would pay him the full fare and get off. Despite this, he was smiling and laughing, stating what he wanted to convey of truth without being stubborn or harsh, and he would present advice in dazzling clothes and an attractive style that hearts would be drawn to and minds would accept.

As for how he was martyred, upon the start of the first events in Fallujah¹⁰ that began after the killing of the four Americans and the burning of their bodies, Hajj Thamir had led a group of muhajirin and ansar traveling in the desert and the external roads, seeking shelter and striking the enemy.

When the signs of an attack on Fallujah appeared, they went down to protect it. When the siege began, Hajj was present with his brothers in the industrial area and its surroundings. Because of the small number of mujahidin, given the vastness of the area and the many outlets, the Americans were able to enter the neighborhood. In the middle of the night, a violent clash took place between the mujahidin brothers and the infiltrating Marines. A bullet penetrated the chest of one of the brothers. Hajj returned to save his brother, but a sniper shot him in the head and he fell as a martyr, may God have mercy on him. That same night, Brother Khattab and Abu Faris were martyred after that, so may God have mercy on them all. A few days later, the poor servant [Abu Ismail] was injured, so I sat at home crying to myself. Because martyrdom kept me away from these beloved ones, I said these verses:

A man walks on thorns, crying... in the darkness of the dark night, calling out

Where is the companion who treats the needy... Who is the helper and guide for the weak?

The planets of light went singing... He who sells like us will fly high

We are the ones who traded for their Lord...the honest winners at Nadia

The caravans of martyrs are a flash of lightning... the fragrant breeze surrounds them with compassion

Where is the friend and companion in an ordeal...that has lasted for me, for there is no beloved guide?

Alone, alone, I suffer from regrets... Come, take me, I don't want a comforter

It is enough for me, my brother, that I love you... Does love benefit a sick, lonely person?

Knowing that I called it “The Story of a Prodigal,” I ask God to forgive me with His mercy, grace, and favor, Amen.

Written by:

Abu Ismail al-Muhajir

1. Kazimi, ‘“What Was That All About?” Flawed Methodologies in Explaining the Origins of ISIS (2003–2013),’ Bustan: The Middle East Book Review 8, no. 2 (2017). Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/bustan.8.2.0151

2. Truls Hallberg Tønnessen, ‘The Islamic Emirate of Fallujah’, paper presented at the International Studies Association Annual Conference, Montreal, 16–19 March 2011.

3. Honorific given to Muslims who have completed the pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajj

4. In Anbar Province

5. Literally, this means “supporter,” but in this setting, it refers to local supporters of the jihadist struggle.

6. By this point, Thamir Mubarak had become a top lieutenant of Zarqawi. He was killed in April 2004.

7. This directly translates to “immigrants,” but in this setting it refers to foreign fighters of the jihadist struggle.

8. A prominent Twelver Shiite Ayatollah and the leader of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). Hakim lived in exile in Iran for over 20 years before returning to Iraq shortly after the American invasion. He was killed on 29 August, 2003 in the suicide bombing that targeted the Imam Ali Shrine.

9. An Egyptian human rights activist who served as the Chief of Staff for Secretary General Sergio DeMello.

10. Referring to the First Battle of Fallujah