A new face of the Islamic State has been revealed in leaked GoPro battle footage, and it’s not pretty.
Abu Hajaar has become the internet’s most popular Daesh fighter after starring in a Vice film, recorded on the headcam of a group of ISIS members in battle. Shown fumbling with his weapons, failing to follow instructions, getting yelled at by his fellow Jihadis and generally being the weak link in an already very rusty chain, he's been both mocked and pitied on Twitter.
The new face of ISIS, #AbuHajaar https://t.co/PrsGRyueCc h/t @Herka__ pic.twitter.com/D3W7RQGMRL
— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) 28 April 2016
The footage was revealed by Vice reporter Jake Hanrahan, and is part of a 7-minute film that begins with fighters saying goodbye to a suicide bomber.
I obtained footage taken from the GoPro of a dead Islamic State fighter for @vicenews. Here's the grim reality: https://t.co/BYF9t98e5F
— Jake Hanrahan (@Jake_Hanrahan) 27 April 2016
Three men then set out onto the battlefield, where they proceed to screw everything up in the course of a disastrous altercation with peshmerga fighters. They can’t figure out whether the rocket launchers are for vehicles or people. When they finally manage to launch something it backfires into their truck. There are bullet casings everywhere.
Eventually the driver is killed and the rest of the team try to save themselves by rolling back to base.
The scapegoat of the series is Abu Hajaar, whose name is screamed so many times during the video that it will be forever associated with ineptitude and failure. He fumbles with his gun and can’t follow instructions. He asks too many questions. He misplaces his gun.
The internet was quick to pick up on the inadequacy of the young fighter and his earnest but ultimately doomed attempts to be an effective footsoldier for the global caliphate.
When you find out that #AbuHajaar got put on in your squad pic.twitter.com/XjGJ2VuNZA
— Jeb Boone (@JebBoone) 28 April 2016
I think #AbuHajaar's final thoughts were "rubber dinghy rapids"
— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) 28 April 2016
Oh #AbuHajjar... get it together
— Gissur Simonarson CN (@GissiSim) 27 April 2016
Abu Hajaar’s skills, at least, follow a rich line of depictions of battlefield amateurishness. If Daesh doesn’t work out he could always feature in Dad’s Army or Seinfeld.
And sometimes the internet totally delivers #JeSuisAbuHajaar #AbuHajaar guest stars on Seinfeld https://t.co/0jAlSqByaf
— Mitchell Prothero (@mitchprothero) 28 April 2016
#AbuHajaar Style pic.twitter.com/uRdigHNeKr
— Harry Boone (@towersight) 28 April 2016
Many commentators even leapt to Abu Hajaar’s defence. It’s probably pretty tough to be in ISIS, after all, and it doesn’t get any easier when your friends are picking on you.
I'm sort of hoping we can get #AbuHajaar trending today. retweet if you think Abu Abdullah was really to blame. pic.twitter.com/qBhYXnToho
— Mitchell Prothero (@mitchprothero) 28 April 2016
#abuhajaar tryna do his best but u scoldin him af
— - (@kpcreyes) 28 April 2016
“What’s wrong with you, Abu Hajaar?!” was a screamed phrase that many of us can relate to being on the wrong end of.
In fact, Abu Hajjar could very well become the new byword for anything hapless, fumbling, and not-quite-up-to-par.
I feel like Abu Hajjar today
— Yêketi (@Kurdoz_) 27 April 2016
Abu Hajjar in the streets, Abu Hajjar in the sheets
— Ibrahim Salha (@ibzo) 27 April 2016
We’ve all had our Abu Hajjar days.
— Patrick Osgood (@PatrickOsgood) 27 April 2016
Can we make this happen, please?
