‘I’ll butcher him and make gravy’

Iraqi government troops and Iranian-backed Shiite militias continued their push into Tikrit, a city once firmly held by Islamic State militants.

A FEARSOME Iraqi soldier, dubbed the "father of the archangel of death", has gained celebrity status for his role in fighting back against Islamic State.

Wielding an axe, sword and machine gun and sporting a healthy beard and beaming smile, Abu Azrael has become a legend in the war against the extremist organisation.

A Facebook page dedicated to the fighter, which portrays the musclebound Baghdad native as a kind of anti-IS action hero, has garnered more than 340,000 likes.

He has amassed a legion of adoring fans and has been held up as the embodiment of the retribution many Iraqis want against the brutal jihadists who have seized swathes of their country.

Abu Azrael is poster child in the propaganda war against Islamic State.

Abu Azrael wields a sword. Source: Facebook

Anti-IS hero Abu Azrael. Source: Facebook

Abu Azrael, who has also been dubbed "Iraq's Rambo", is the poster child of the Imam Ali brigade, the Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia taking on IS alongside the Iraqi army.

His catchphrase on social media is "illa tahin", which means he will beat his IS enemies into flour.

Speaking to AFP near the IS-held city of Tikrit this week, Abu Azrael, whose real name is Ayyub Faleh al-Rubaie, said "I never have any leniency" for jihadists.

"I swear to God, I am not merciful to him," the 40-year-old said.

Another shot from his Facebook page. Source: Facebook

Abu Azrael is not averse to a selfie. Source: Facebook

Abu Azrael said he had taken on IS extremists in half a dozen locations, but also had experience fighting against US forces during the Iraq War and against rebels in Damascus who were attempting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. His right hand was broken recently when he was thrown from a vehicle by a bomb blast.

He recalled seeing IS members "butchering our sons with axes" in northern Iraq and he said God "granted me my dream" when one of those responsible was caught.

"We caught one of them, and we asked him, 'Why?', and he said, 'I swear to God, it isn't me'. But later, images showed that he was the one slaughtering our son," Abu Azrael said.

He then quoted the Koranic verse that says "attack them as they attacked you".

"As he did, I (should) butcher him and make gravy," he said, leaving the man's fate ambiguous but strongly implied.

Abu Azrael is Iraq's answer to American Sniper. Source: Facebook

Despite his strongman image, Abu Azrael also describes himself as a "simple man" with "a simple family — four girls and a boy".

"You see me go to school to drop off my children and I am peaceful. But I show another face to them (IS)," he said.

He is also a former physical education teacher at a university in Iraq, according to Iranian TV station.

Propaganda tool … Abu Azrael has more than 340,000 Facebook followers. Source: Facebook

And Abu Azrael's Facebook page shows him taking smiling selfies with other soldiers and meeting with dignitaries, such as Iraq's Transport Minister.

And although he has become a hero to many, he said he was just one of a legion of brave fighters.

"I am probably in the spotlight because Almighty God made me successful in killing a number of dirty men, but all of the (fighters) are heroes," he said.

The BBC notes that Abu Azrael's rising profile provides a fascinating insight into Iran's propaganda machine.

"Iraq's Rambo" … Abu Azrael on the battlefield. Source: Facebook

There are fears that the large presence of Shi'ite Muslim fighters like him in Tikrit, which is in Iraq's Sunni heartland, could further destabilise the region, according to the BBC.

Iranian-backed Iraqi soldiers and allied Shi'ite militias are currently fighting to reclaim Tikrit, which was Saddam Hussein's hometown, without the aid of US air strikes.

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