After Saddam's death, his deputy Ibrahim resisted the United States for nine years, repaying him with his death.
In the long history of Iraq, there is a tough guy who continued to wage a stubborn struggle against the United States after Saddam Hussein was overthrown for the sake of faith and friendship: Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri.
In 2003, when the Iraq War broke out, the U.S. military easily hit Baghdad, but Ibrahim had already received the news and successfully evaded the pursuit of the U.S. military.
Ibrahim's path to escape was treacherous and resilient, and he not only managed to retreat, but also withdrew huge sums of cash from the bank before leaving, complicating the pursuit of him by the U.S. military, as the tough guy managed to evade the world's most powerful intelligence network with his wits.
Over time, Ibrahim has thwarted U.S. military control of Iraq, vowing that the fighting will not stop as long as he is alive.
Even after Saddam Hussein was hanged, he spoke firmly and declared war on the United States, and the tough guy kept his promise and fought to the last drop of blood.
In April 2015, Ibrahim was "shot dead" in his hometown of Tikrit, and at the age of 72, his tenacity and resistance are awe-inspiring. To confirm his true identity, his blood samples were sent to Baghdad for genetic testing, which confirmed that the man with the red beard was none other than Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri.
Just when the Americans were relieved, Ibrahim appeared on Arab TV in a military uniform in 2016, breaking the rumors of death. It wasn't until 2020 that the Iraqi Baath Party announced Ibrahim's death on social media, which finally brought an end to the tough guy's legendary career.
Ibrahim's relationship with Saddam Hussein is not only political, but also his family ties with Saddam, Saddam's eldest son Uday married Ibrahim Hussein's daughter, and the relationship between the two families is firmly connected.
Compared to other henchmen, Ibrahim's relationship with Saddam Hussein was unusually close. Saddam Hussein's trust in him was like a surging river, and Ibrahim was almost the only one in the moody leadership who was able to weather the storm safely, and his intelligence and decisiveness became Saddam's right-hand man.
So how did Ibrahim meet Saddam?
Born in 1942, Ibrahim's family was not wealthy, his father was just an ice street vendor, and in those poor years, Ibrahimduri learned how to fight in difficult situations. His contemporary, Saddam Hussein, came from a similar situation, but the intersection of two destinies became a turning point for the entire country.
As a young man, Ibrahim did not have the opportunity to receive a formal education, but he was not discouraged, and after his father joined the army, he took over the ice business and made a living with his own hands, but deep down he had buried ambitions for the future and longed to change his fate.
In the 1963 coup d'état, Ibrahim joined the Iraqi Baath Party, which opposed the Qasim regime, and embarked on a political path. However, at the beginning of his political career, he was implicated in the regime change and imprisoned, a seemingly desperate moment that became an opportunity for him to become acquainted with the later Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
While in prison, Ibrahim met a man named Saddam, and the two forged a deep friendship in the midst of difficult circumstances, Saddam's ambition and Ibrahim's tenacious character seemed to resonate, and prison became a hotbed of their legendary friendship.
In 1968, the Baath Party seized power, Ibrahim and others were released, and Saddam quickly rose to prominence as the top leader of the Ba'ath Party. Ibrahim was able to return to the political arena as one of the core members, and his ambition and courage were fully displayed in this organization.
Although Ibrahim did not have professional military training, his military talent was remarkable.
Ibrahim al-Duri's life is like a legendary epic, from poverty to political peak, and then to the final tough guy struggle, his deep friendship with Saddam, family ties, and heroic performance in the war constitute a brilliant chapter in the legend of this Iraqi tough guy.
The ups and downs in life are not the end, but the journey to a greater purpose. At Ibrahim's insistence, he left an indelible legacy into Iraq's history.
Source: "Ibrahim Escapes Again, U.S. Army Captures His Family in Samara", China News Network, 2004-01-14
"After Saddam's death, only one henchman insisted on avenging him and killed nearly 10,000 US troops in more than ten years!", NetEase News2019-04-22
