Abdolreza Shahlaei (Persian: عبدالرضا شهلایی) is an Iranian military officer who serves as the commander of the Yemen division of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Abdolreza Shahlaei | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Hajj Yusef[1] Yusuf Abu-al-Karkh[1] |
| Born | c. 1957 (age 66–67)[1] Imperial State of Iran[2] |
| Allegiance | Iran |
| Service | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| Years of service | 1980–present |
| Rank | Brigadier general[3] |
| Unit | Quds Force |
| Battles / wars | Yemeni Civil War |
Designation as a terrorist by the US
editShahlaei is classified by the US government as a terrorist for his funding of terror groups and his links to attacks on US troops in Iraq, including a 2007 raid that killed five US soldiers in Karbala.[4] Other alleged attacks led by Shahlaei include a failed assassination attempt on the Saudi ambassador in Washington DC, Adel Al-Jubeir.[1] As such, the US State Department has put a US$15 million bounty on Shahlaei, through the Rewards for Justice Program, for information leading to his whereabouts.[2][5]
2020 assassination attempt by the US
editOn the night of 3 January 2020, the US military attempted to assassinate Shahlaei via drone strike in conjunction with the assassination of the head of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani in the Baghdad International Airport airstrike. The drone strike in Sana'a, where Shahlaei was based, failed to kill him but did lead to the death of lower-ranked IRGC member Mostafa Mohammad Mirzaei. This is the first combat death the Quds Force has acknowledged in Yemen.[6]
On 10 January, the US State Department admitted to the attempted assassination of Shahlaei but did not announce it on the same date as the Soleimani assassination because the Shahlaei assassination was unsuccessful. This led to speculation the 3 January drone strikes were wider decapitation hits aimed at taking out the Quds Force leadership.[7][8]
Death rumor
editAn Islamic Republic News Agency report initially called COVID-19 victim Hasan Irlu a repatriated Qods Corps officer and Iranian envoy to Yemen, Shahlaei.[9][10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Treasury Sanctions Five Individuals Tied to Iranian Plot to Assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States", United States Department of the Treasury, 22 November 2019, archived from the original on 23 December 2021, retrieved 22 November 2019
- ^ a b "Abdul Reza Shahla'i". Rewards for Justice. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ Seliktar, Ofira; Rezaei, Farhad (2019), Iran, Revolution, and Proxy Wars, Springer Nature, p. 212, ISBN 9783030294182
- ^ "US offering $15 million for info on Iranian planner of 2007 Karbala attack that killed 5 US troops". Military Times. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ "US targeted Iranian official in Yemen in failed strike". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
- ^ Emmons, Alex (2020-01-10). "U.S. Strike on Iranian Commander in Yemen the Night of Suleimani's Assassination Killed the Wrong Man". The Intercept. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
- ^ Haltiwanger, John. "Trump tried and failed to kill another top Iranian military leader the same day of the deadly strike on Soleimani, US officials say". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
- ^ "US tried to kill Iranian commander in Yemen same night as Soleimani strike: Officials". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
- ^ "Iran says envoy repatriated from Yemen dies of COVID-19". Reuters. 2021-12-21. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
- ^ "Iran Man In Yemen Suspected To Be IRGC General With $15 Million US Reward". Iran International. Archived from the original on 2021-12-23. Retrieved 2021-12-23.