Info:
Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, known widely by his nom de guerre Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, is the leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH), an Iranian-sponsored Shiite militia operating primarily in Iraq. Ibrahimi is believed to be the most influential commander of the Haashid Shaabi, the umbrella group of anti-ISIS Shiite militias also called Iraq’s popular mobilization forces (PMF), and has played a key role in smuggling weapons from Iran to these militias in Iraq;
In addition to acting as the leader of KH, Ibrahimi serves as Iraq’s deputy national security advisor and the deputy commander of the Haashid Shaabi. He is also a former member of Iraqi parliament;
Nonetheless, Ibrahimi has for years been linked to a series of deadly crimes. In 2007, a Kuwaiti court sentenced Ibrahimi to death in absentia for his involvement in the 1983 U.S. and French embassy bombings in Kuwait, attacks that killed six and injured nearly 90 others. Ibrahimi has also been linked to the 1985 assassination attempt of Kuwait’s Emir;
According to Iraqi Major-General Jumaa Enad, Ibrahimi today is “realistically and operationally” the leader of the PMF. Muen al-Kadimi, deputy leader of another Shiite militia in Iraq, the Badr Organization, confirmed that Ibrahimi is one of the highest-level commander in the PMF, saying that Ibrahimi “signs off on things.”;
Ibrahimi believes in establishing a Shiite theocracy, and considers himself to be a representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khameni, according to Iraqi lawmaker Mishaan Jbouri. He reportedly serves as an adviser and “right hand man” to Iran’s military envoy to Iraq, the IRGC-Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani;
According to U.S. diplomat Ali Khedery speaking on behalf of Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish officials, “the real prime minster of [Iraq] is [Iranian commander] Qasem Soleimani and his deputy is Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis [Ibrahimi].”;
Ibrahimi was born in Basra, in southern Iraq. For years, he worked alongside Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Badr Organization (previously called the Badr Corps). After the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Ibrahimi helped smuggle in a certain kind of improvised explosive device (IED) known as explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) from Iran into Iraq. EFPs were the primary killer of U.S. troops in Iraq from 2003 to 2011;
As of early 2007, al-Muhandis formed a Shia militia group employing instructors from Hizballah to prepare this group and certain Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) Special Groups for attacks against Coalition Forces. The groups received training in guerilla warfare, handling bombs and explosives, and employing weapons–to include missiles, mortars, and sniper rifles. In another instance as of September 2007, al-Muhandis led networks that moved ammunition and weapons–to include explosively formed penetrators (EFPs)–from Iran to Iraq, distributing them to certain JAM militias to target Coalition Forces. As of mid-February 2007, al-Muhandis also ran a weapons smuggling network that moved sniper rifles through the Iran-Iraq border to Shia militias that targeted Coalition Forces;
Al-Muhandis also provided logistical support for attacks against Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Forces conducted by JAM Special Groups and certain Shia militias. In one instance, in April 2008, al-Muhandis facilitated the entry of trucks–containing mortars, Katyusha rockets, EFPs, and other explosive devices–from Iran to Iraq that were then delivered to JAM Special Groups in Sadr City, Baghdad. Additionally, al-Muhandis organized numerous weapons shipments to supply JAM Special Groups who were fighting Iraqi Security Forces in the Basrah and Maysan provinces during late March-early April 2008;
In addition to facilitating weapons shipments to JAM Special Groups and certain Shia militias, al-Muhandis facilitated the movement and training of Iraq-based Shia militia members to prepare them to attack Coalition Forces. In one instance in November 2007, al-Muhandis sent JAM Special Groups members to Iran to undergo a training course in using sniper rifles. Upon completion of the training course, the JAM Special Groups members had planned to return to Iraq and carry out special operations against Coalition Forces. Additionally, in early March 2007, al-Muhandis sent certain Shia militia members to Iran for training in guerilla warfare, light arms, marksmanship, improvised explosive devices (IED) and anti-aircraft missiles to increase the combat ability of the militias to fight Coalition Forces;
Also Known As:
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandes
Abu Mehdi al-Mohandess
Abu-Mahdi al-Mohandas
Abu-Muhannad al-Muhandis
Abu Mahdi al-Madan
Abu Mahdi al-Basri al-Muhandis
Abu-Mahdi al-Mohandis al-Basri
Abu Mahdi al Baseri
Abu Mahdi al-Basari
Jamal Ja’far al-Ibrahimi
Jamal Ja’afar Muhammad Ali al-Ibrahimi
Jamal Jafaar Mohammed Ali Ebrahimi
Jamal Fa’far ‘Ali al-Ibrahimi
Jamal al-Ibrahimi
Jamal al-Madan al-Tamimi
Jamal Ja’afar Ibrahim al-Mikna Bihaj
Jamal Jaafar Mohammed
Jaafar Jamal Jaafar
Jamal Ibrahimi
“The Engineer”
Born:
1953
Died:
Jan 3, 2020, near Baghdad International Airport, Baghdad, Iraq
Qassem Soleimani killed in U.S. air strike on Baghdad airport
Country:
Iraq
Citizenships:
Iranian
Iraqi
Nationality:
Iraqi
Address:
Al Fardoussi Street, Tehran, Iran
Al Maaqal, al Basrah
Velayat Faqih Base, Kenesht Mountain Pass Northwest of Kermanshah, Iran
Mehran, Iran