The re-emergence of Shiite militant Ismail Al Lami – better known as Abu Deraa – in news headlines has thrust Iraq back into its painful past and reopened wounds many believed had been covered over, but not healed.
His name has long been associated with one of Iraq's darkest chapters – the period after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. At that time, the country descended into cycles of retaliatory violence between Sunni and Shiite communities, reshaping entire cities and communities.
Abu Deraa became notorious for his brutal tactics. He is accused of mass kidnappings, killings and forced displacement of Sunnis during a period when militias operated with almost total impunity and Iraqis' daily lives were governed by fear.
For many Shiites, he was a hero, and the Mahdi Army, a feared militia led by influential cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, was the only force that was fighting Sunni extremists.
Abu Deraa returned to the public eye this month after a judicial warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of intimidating officials in a dispute over state property. Many Iraqis say it is ironic that he is now facing arrest over alleged threats of violence, rather than for the violence he is accused of committing in the past.
Like many other residents of Sadr City, an eastern district of Baghdad and a stronghold of support for Mr Al Sadr, Abu Deraa joined the Mahdi Army when it was formed a few months after the 2003 invasion.
Abu Deraa came to be viewed as the Shiites' answer to Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, who increased attacks against Shiites together with allied armed groups. Al Zarqawi was killed in a US strike in 2006, north-east of Baghdad.
Abu Deraa disappeared for years in 2006, after Iraqi forces restored order with the help of US troops. He is believed to have fled to Iran and joined splinter groups that rejected Mr Al Sadr’s move to freeze the Mahdi Army a year later.
In recent years, videos and photos of Abu Deraa have surfaced sporadically on social media − walking confidently in Sadr City with militants around him, taking part in protests or community events.
In April, he entered the Baghdad Municipality building with supporters and used intimidation to pressure officials into approving a deal, according to the arrest warrant. The deal involved renting government-owned land, an official told The National.
That incident prompted Mr Al Sadr to issue a “declaration of disavowal” against 11 people linked to him, including his four sons and his grandson. He also called on security authorities to take the necessary measures against them.
Security forces have recently been stationed in Sadr City, seeking to arrest Abu Deraa. Automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and vehicles were seized in a raid on one of his headquarters on Tuesday, a security official told The National. Several of his associates were arrested, but he remains at large.
“The Iraqi authorities have so far treated the matter as a legal case tied to specific allegations, without addressing the broader historical context that has fuelled public reaction,” the official said.
“Once arrested for this crime, families of his victims can file complaints for other crimes he committed.”
The official admitted that Mr Al Sadr’s response to the incident at the Baghdad Municipality had encouraged security forces to seek Abu Deraa's arrest.
Justice denied
Across Iraq, the focus on this case has prompted broader reflection that extends beyond the immediate allegations.
For many Iraqis, it is not simply the return of a controversial figure to the headlines, but a painful reminder that justice has still not been served all these years later. It exposes how deeply unresolved the country’s past remains, almost two decades after the violence that made Abu Deraa infamous.
“Iraq’s most famous butcher has a warrant issued against him on charges of ‘threatening’,” journalist Omar Al Janabi wrote on social media. “I feel that this is an insult to his criminal record.”
Abu Deraa's crimes “cannot be reduced to this single charge” as he was accused of “killing people in cold blood daily, leaving behind a trail of bodies wherever he went, after kidnapping and killing victims in gruesome ways”, Al Janabi wrote.
Like other figures linked to that period, Abu Deraa has been able to “navigate Iraq’s post-conflict landscape without facing a level of accountability matching the scale of his alleged abuses,” a Baghdad resident said. “This is one of the weaknesses in our political system.
“Many of the 'heroes' of that dark chapter are still around and influential, so it's no wonder we see Abu Deraa and others free and going on with their lives normally.”
A former member of Al Sadr Movement told The National that opening new cases against Abu Deraa would be difficult.
“It needs political will and will take us to that period in which we all, Sunnis and Shiites, had roles,” said the source, who is now a politician.
“Iraq will continue to struggle with imposing the rule of law evenly, particularly when it comes to powerful or well-connected individuals, given that the whole system is based on back room deals and understandings.”
