The Life of Baha Hamid al-Hayali: Iraqi Veteran of the War in Syria

Many Iraqis have fought in the Syrian civil war on the side of the government. Of these, some were residing in Syria prior to the war and played an important role in setting up formations like the original Liwa Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas, Liwa Dhu al-Fiqar, Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib, the Rapid Intervention Regiment, Liwa al-Imam al-Hussein, and Liwa Usud al-Iraq. Others came from Iraq to Syria to fight, only to return to Iraq later. The life of Baha Hamid al-Hayali represents a crossover between the two. He was not living in Syria prior to the war, but he came and was virtually living there at the time of his death. I was connected with him on social media though never had the opportunity to do an interview with him. He died over a year ago and I document his life here, relying mainly on the testimony of one of his relatives.