Adnan Ismail Najm al-Bilawi Al-Dulaimi (Arabic: عدنان إسماعيل نجم البيلاوي الدليمي 1971 – 4 June 2014), better known by the nom de guerreAbu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi al-Anbari[1] (Arabic: أبو عبد الرحمن البيلاوي الأنباري), was a top commander in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the head of its Military Council, prior to his killing by Iraqi security forces on 4 June 2014.[3][4]
Biography
Al-Bilawi belonged to the Al-bu Bali clan of the Dulaim, the largest tribe in the Iraqi Al Anbar Governorate. His tribe formed the nucleus of the resistance/insurgency against U.S. forces in Iraq. The Dulaimis returned to the armed insurgency in 2014.
The governor of Anbar at the time, Ahmad Khalaf al-Dulaimi, claimed that he taught al-Bilawi when they were both at the Iraqi Military Academy. Al-Bilawi graduated in 1993 and went on to become an infantry officer in the Iraqi military, achieving the rank of captain.[2][4]
Following his escape, he became a member of ISIL's Military Council and had a major role in planning and leading the group's military offensive in Northern and Central Iraq.[5] Al-Bilawi was killed on 4 June 2014 in a raid by Iraqi security forces in Mosul. Following his death, a laptop belonging to al-Bilawi revealed high quality intelligence on the operations and leadership structure of ISIL.[9] Al-Bilawi had been leading the planning for a military operation against Mosul, following his death ISIL launched the attack, resulting in their total seizure of the city by 9 June 2014. The attack was named the "Invasion of Asadullah al-Bilawi Abu Abdul Rahman" in his honour.[10]
His death was acknowledged by ISIL's official spokesman, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, in a June 2014 statement that praised his contributions to the group.[5] He was reportedly succeeded by Abu Muhannad al-Suwaydawi as leader of the ISIL Military Council.[2]
