The Popular Mobilization Units fighting the Islamic State (IS) have a real-life hero: Abu Azrael, an Iraqi Rambo. He is fighting among their volunteer ranks, supporting the Iraqi army in the battle to retake Tikrit from IS.
Days after IS moved against Mosul, June 9, 2014, Iraqi news outlets and other Arab media organizations honed in on Abu Azrael, depicting him as a fierce fighter battling IS. He sports a short beard, dresses in black and is often armed to the teeth. There have been dozens of videos uploaded to YouTube about the battles in which Abu Azrael has fought alongside the Iraqi security forces and volunteer fighters in Tikrit.