Islamic State "blind judge" shows up in Ramadi as Iraqi forces make slow advance
BAGHDAD,- A senior Islamic State figure known as "the blind judge" has made an appearance in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, asserting the militant group's dominion over it as security forces and Shi'ite militias prepare a counter-attack.
Residents of Ramadi said a blind man with one hand and his head shrouded had delivered a speech in the Anbar provincial capital's main mosque after evening prayers on Wednesday.
They did not know who he was but recognised him to be a senior figure because he was flanked by a large number of guards and said his accent indicated he was Iraqi.
Iraqi security expert Hisham al-Hashimi, who closely tracks the hardline insurgents, identified the man as Ali Attiya al-Jubouri, also known as Abu Asim, or "the blind judge of the Islamic State".
"This cleric who appeared in Ramadi yesterday is very famous," Hashimi said. "He is the second highest religious authority after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the fifth man in the organization of Daesh."
Daesh is an Arabic name for Islamic State.
Residents of Ramadi said a blind man with one hand and his head shrouded had delivered a speech in the Anbar provincial capital's main mosque after evening prayers on Wednesday.
They did not know who he was but recognised him to be a senior figure because he was flanked by a large number of guards and said his accent indicated he was Iraqi.
Iraqi security expert Hisham al-Hashimi, who closely tracks the hardline insurgents, identified the man as Ali Attiya al-Jubouri, also known as Abu Asim, or "the blind judge of the Islamic State".
"This cleric who appeared in Ramadi yesterday is very famous," Hashimi said. "He is the second highest religious authority after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the fifth man in the organization of Daesh."
Daesh is an Arabic name for Islamic State.
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