Abu Abdullah Al Amriiki (The American)

An American suicide bomber, identified only as Abu Abdullah al Amriiki, reportedly detonated himself during an assault on pro-government positions in the central Iraqi city of Baiji. A photo and subsequent details of the suicide operation have been released by the Islamic State and distributed online.

According to the jihadist group, the American drove a “four wheel drive vehicle loaded with explosive materials and detonated in the Rafidi [Rejector] Army barracks” in the southwestern sector of the city. The American was used in a coordinated assault on pro-government positions in the area. Three other suicide bombers were deployed, including two Tajiks and an Iraqi. According to the Islamic State’s statement, the bombers were targeting a “railway area” to the west of the city.

This is not the first American suicide bomber used by the Islamic State. Earlier this year, the jihadist group said that Abu Dawoud al Amriiki detonated a car bomb on Iraqi positions near the city of Samarra.

Another American, Moner Mohammad Abusalha, who was also known as Abu Hurayra al Amriki, carried out a suicide attack in Syria last year. Abusalha, who was from Florida, was a member of Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s branch in Syria. Al Nusrah is a rival to the Islamic State. Abusalha rammed a truck packed with 16 tons of explosives into a Syrian military position as part of a multi-pronged operation. [See LWJ report, US officials have identified American suicide bomber in Syria.]

Al Amriiki’s detonation:

Caleb Weiss is a contributor to FDD's Long War Journal.

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