Faisal Abdi Bilal Saadoun (1984 – 5 June 2016), widely known as Abu Leyla or Abu Layla (), was a

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

commander in both the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...

and the

Syrian Democratic Forces The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...

(SDF). He is regarded by many as a hero of the

Rojava–Islamist conflict The Rojava–Islamist conflict, a major Theater (warfare), theater in the Syrian civil war, started after fighting erupted between the Kurds, Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and Islamism, Islamist rebel factions in the city of Ras al-A ...

. Abu Layla was born near

Kobanî Kobani, also Kobane, officially Ayn al-Arab, is a Kurdish-majority city in the Ayn al-Arab District in northern Syria, lying immediately south of the Syria–Turkey border. As a consequence of the Syrian civil war, the city came under the co ...

and is of Kurdish heritage; he died in a hospital in

Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah or Slemani (; ), is a city in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and is the capital of the Sulaymaniyah Governorate. It is surrounded by the Azmar (Ezmer), Goizha (Goyje) and Qaiwan (Qeywan) Mountains in the northeast, Bara ...

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. His death was caused by a sniper bullet to the head he received in the Abu Qelqel village during an offensive against the Islamic State in Manbij on 5 June 2016. At the time of his death, he was a prominent commander in the SDF.

Syrian Civil War

Rise to fame in Kobani (2014)

Abu Layla found himself besieged with his battalion in the Syrian city of

Kobani Kobani, also Kobane, officially Ayn al-Arab, is a Kurdish-majority city in the Ayn al-Arab District in northern Syria, lying immediately south of the Syria–Turkey border. As a consequence of the Syrian civil war, the city came under the con ...

from September 2014. During the Siege of Kobani, he gained widespread attention on the Internet after allegedly saving an Islamic State fighter from the rubble. During the siege he was wounded seven times, including once on 29 November 2014 when he was transported to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

for treatment, but returned to lead his battalion alongside the

YPG The People's Defense Units (YPG), also called People's Protection Units, is a libertarian socialist US-backed Kurdish militant group in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The YPG mostly consists of K ...

and

Peshmerga The Peshmerga () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...

. The siege of the city was broken in January 2015 after 112 days of fighting with help from more than 600 airstrikes by the American-led coalition.

After Kobani (2015–16)

Although he decided to quit as a commander in early 2015, he changed his mind and joined the 2015 offensives of

Tell Abyad Tell Abyad is a town in northern Syria. It is the administrative center of the Tell Abyad District within the Raqqa Governorate. Located along the Balikh River, it constitutes a divided city with the bordering city of Akçakale in Turkey. Hist ...

and

Al-Hasakah Al-Hasakah (; / ; ) is a city in northeastern Syria and the capital of the Al-Hasakah Governorate. With a 2023 estimated population of 422,445, Al-Hasakah is populated by Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians and a smaller number of Armenians and Chechens. A ...

. He was one of the founders of the

. With his battalion, he took part in the successful offensive in

Ayn Issa Ayn Issa (also Ain Issa; , "Eye of Jesus"; ) is a town in the Tell Abyad District of Raqqa Governorate in Syria and a capital for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. It is located halfway between the Syria–Turkey border town o ...

Al-Shaddadah Al-Shaddadah or al-Shaddadi (, Kurdish: ''Şeddadê'') is a town in southern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The town is the administrative center of the al-Shaddadah Subdistrict, which consists of 16 municipalities. At the 2004 censu ...

Sarrin Sarrin (, also spelled Serrin or Sareen, Kurdish: ''Sirrîn'') is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Aleppo Governorate, located northeast of Aleppo. It is situated 3 kilometers east of the Euphrates River, south of Kobanî ...

and

Tishrin Dam The Tishrin Dam (; ) is a dam on the Euphrates river, located east of Aleppo in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. The dam is high, and has 6 water turbines capable of producing 630 MW. Construction took place between 1991 and 1999. Rescue excavat ...

in December 2015. He co-founded the

Manbij Military Council The Manbij Military Council (MMC) is a coalition established by several groups in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), primarily the Northern Sun Battalion, on 2 April 2016 at the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates. The MMC led the SDF's Manbij offen ...

and in 2016 he was active with his battalion in the area around Tishreen Dam and

Manbij Manbij (; ; ) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, west of the Euphrates. The 2004 census gives its population as nearly 100,000.

Death and legacy

died on 5 June 2016, after being shot in the head by an Islamic State sniper on Friday 3 June, in the countryside south of Manbij, Syria. He had previously been evacuated by a US military helicopter to a hospital in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, but doctors were unable to remove the bullet in his head and prevent internal bleeding in the brain. A large funeral ceremony was held for Abu Layla in the martyrs cemetery in Kobanî. Other SDF and FSA commanders, including Abdul Sattar al-Jader and Muhammad Ahmed of the

Euphrates Jarabulus Brigades The Union of Euphrates Jarabulus Battalions (; ''Tajamu Kata'ib Furat Jarabulus'') is a Syrian rebel group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and later the Syrian Democratic Forces which operates in northern Syria. Formed in mid-2013, the gro ...

and Abdul Karim Obeid of the Tahrir Brigade attended the funeral. The Syrian Democratic Forces named the operation against Islamic State in Manbij "Martyr Abu Leyla operation" in his memory. His brother Yussuf Abu Sa’dun was captured on 4 July by the Islamic State in the same operation near Manbij. The

Rudaw Media Network Rudaw Media Network () is a media broadcaster in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The network is headquartered in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It delivers content in multiple languages, including English, Kurdish, Arabic, and Turki ...

names him as Yousif Babe Aziz, a 42-year-old father of five. According to Rudaw, one of Aziz’s relatives told news agencies that they did not know Aziz had been captured by the Islamic State until they saw the footage released last night. "Yousif put Abu Layla’s rifle on his shoulder and decided to go to Manbij to fight ISIS. But he disappeared once he left Kobani towards Manbij. We looked for him a lot, but could not do anything," said Jalal Ahmed, a cousin of Aziz.

References

External links

*Washington Post / Associated Press
Top Syrian Kurdish commander killed in Raqqa campaign
*Rudaw
Barzani names Abu Layla a courageous man of Kobani
{{DEFAULTSORT:Layla, Abu 1984 births 2016 deaths Members of the Free Syrian Army Military personnel killed in the Syrian civil war Syrian military personnel of the Syrian civil war People from Kobanî