Abu Tahsin al-Salihi

Abu Tahsin al-Salihi (Arabic: أبو تحسين الصالحي; 1 July 1953 – 29 September 2017) was an Iraqi veteran sniper. A volunteer in the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, he is credited with killing over 384 ISIS members during the War in Iraq (2013–2017), receiving the nicknames "The Sheikh of Snipers" and "Hawk Eye."[1]

Abu Tahsin al-Salihi

Sniper
Abu Tahsin al-Salihi in Baghdad
Native name
أبو تحسين الصالحي
Birth nameAli Jiyad Obaid al-Salihi
Nickname(s)Sheikh of Snipers, Hawk Eye
Born1 July 1953
Basra, Kingdom of Iraq
Died29 September 2017 (age 64)
Hawija, Iraq
Allegiance Iraq
Service/branchIraqi army
Years of service1973–2017
UnitIraqi army
Popular Mobilization Forces (2014-17 †)
Battles/wars

Before the War in Iraq (2013–2017), al-Salihi fought in the Yom Kippur War, the Iran–Iraq War, the invasion of Kuwait, the Gulf War, and the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.[2] According to al-Salihi, in the Yom Kippur War he was part of an Iraqi brigade fighting on Golan Heights.[1] Around May 2015 al-Salihi joined the Popular Mobilization Forces and was stationed in the Makhoul Mountains in northern Iraq, armed with a Steyr anti materiel rifle.[2][1] Al-Salihi began fighting ISIS in Jurf Al Nasr. He was trained in his sniper skills by the Russian military.[3]

Early life

Abu Tahsin al-Salihi was born Ali Jiyad Obaid al-Salihi (Arabic: علي جياد عبيد الصالحي) and was known by his nom de guerre The Hawk Eye or teknonym Abu Tahsin. He was born in 1953, had eleven children, five girls and six boys. He was a Shia Muslim. He traveled to Kuwait in the 1970s and worked many jobs there, two of which were being a shepherd of cows and camels. He had a French rifle to protect himself and with which he hunted rabbits, from this he gained knowledge in hunting and shooting.

Military career

Months before the Yom Kippur War in the 1970s, he was nominated to travel to the Soviet Union to train in a course and took second place. The first war he fought in was the Yom Kippur War in 1973, where he was stationed in the Golan Heights in the 5th mountainous brigade. The second war he fought in was the Second Kurdish–Iraqi War in 1974. From the start of the uprising until 2014, he joined the Sadr brigade where he participated in the liberation of many provinces in Iraq, but he didn't fit well in this brigade, so he joined Liwa Ali Al Akbar and this is where his skills began to show. He had 384 confirmed kills.

Death

According to the Popular Mobilization Forces spokesman, al-Salihi was killed during the anti-ISIS offensive against Hawija, Iraq.[1] His funeral took place on 30 September 2017.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Anti-IS 'sheikh sniper' killed in battle for Iraq's Hawija". Gulf Times. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  2. "ISIS killer: Iraqi sniper Abu Tahseen claims to have shot 173 terrorists in video". News.com.au. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  3. "63-year-old Iraqi sniper says he has killed 321 Isis fighters since 2015". International Business Times. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
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