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{{Short description|Iraqi self-declared messiah}}
{{Refimprove|date=June 2010}}
'''Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim''' ({{langx|ar|ضياء عبد الزهرة كاظم}}; {{circa|1970}} – January 29, 2007), also known as '''al-Ali bin Ali bin Abi Talib''' ([[Arabic]]: العلي بن علي بن أبي طالب), was an Iraqi militant who was the leader of an armed extremist [[Shia Islam|Shia Islamist]] [[cult]] named [[Soldiers of Heaven]] based in [[Iraq]]. He claimed to be the [[Hidden Imam]] and [[Mahdi]].

He claimed to be from [[Hilla]], Iraq. He was detained twice in recent years. He was also known to have connections to the former regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] since 1993.

After [[Saddam Hussein]] was toppled in the U.S.-led [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], Abdul-Zahra's group appeared to be a legitimate political movement. Soon Abdul-Zahra, who was in his mid-30s, began telling followers that he was the [[reincarnation]] of the [[Ali ibn Abu Talib]], the first [[Shia Imam]] as well as the last of the [[Rightly Guided Caliphs]].

He was killed by Iraqi forces in late January 2007 in the "[[Battle of Najaf (2007)|Battle of Najaf]]", as he and his group ''Jund al-Samaa'' marched towards the Shiite holy city of [[Najaf]], reportedly planning to kill the Shiite authorities and Grand Ayatollahs there and "take over their [[hawza]]s."<ref name="Abu Zeed-2-2-2015">{{cite news |last1=Abu Zeed |first1=Adnan |title='Messengers of God' multiply amidst Iraqi chaos |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2015/02/iraq-imam-shiite-messenger-disciples.html |access-date=2 June 2022 |agency=Al Monitor |date=2 February 2015}}</ref>

==2007 Ashura attacks==
Abdul-Zahra Kadim was accused of planning a massive attack in [[Najaf]] during the [[Day of Ashura]] holy commemoration. Plans called for members of the Jund al-Samaa to disguise themselves as [[pilgrim]]s then open fire in the attempt to assassinate as many leading Shia [[cleric]]s as possible and cause overall disruption of the commemoration. Abdul-Zahra Kadim dispatched a three-man assassination squad to a hotel where senior Shia spiritual leader [[Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani]] had his office with plans to attack the office.<ref name="BBCConf">Hardy, Roger (January 31, 2007). [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6313433.stm "Confusion surrounds Najaf battle"]. BBC.</ref><ref name="LAT">Roug, Louise; Fakhrildeen, Saad (January 30, 2007). [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-messiah30jan30,1,3904850.story "Religious cult targeted in fierce battle near Najaf"]. ''[[Los Angeles Times]].''</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gamel |first=Kim |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq |title=Iraqi army kills leader of Shiite cult |agency=Associated Press |publisher=news.yahoo.com |date=January 29, 2007 |accessdate = January 29, 2007 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070207225245/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq |archivedate = 2007-02-07}}</ref>

==Death==
Abdul-Zahra Kadim was killed during a fierce gun [[Battle of Najaf (2007)|battle]] with [[United States Army|United States]], [[British Army|British]], and [[New Iraqi Army|New Iraqi]] army forces in Najaf on January 29, 2007. He was found wearing jeans, a coat, and a hat, in addition to being armed with two pistols. He was thirty-seven years old.

The footage appeared to show the body of Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim, wrapped in a blanket. His face, with a neatly trimmed beard, matched a photo in a pamphlet found at the site entitled "Holy Coming", which identified him as the Mahdi.<ref>[https://archive.today/20070424061503/http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=COL047091&WTmodLoc=World-R5-Alertnet-3 "Ashura blast kills at least 13 in Iraq"]. today.reuters.co.uk Reuters. January 30, 2007. </ref><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=BBAB&d_place=BBAB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1170221547C618D8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "BBC Monitoring International Reports: Ashura blast kills at least 13 in Iraq"]. BBC. January 30, 2007. {{registration required}}</ref>

Apparently, he had been claiming he was the [[Mahdi]], in efforts to hide his real identity and recruit new members to the cult.<ref>Senanayake, Sumedha (February 2, 2007). [http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1347487.html "Al-Najaf Mystery Reflects Iraqi Divisions"]. ''Reports Archive: Iraq Report'', Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.</ref><ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070129/ts_nm/iraq_dc "Death toll rises"]. news.yahoo.com. January 29, 2007. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411031354/http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070129/ts_nm/iraq_dc |date=April 11, 2021 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Ahmad al-Hasan al-Yamani]]
*[[People claiming to be the Mahdi]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.almahdyoon.org}} {{in lang|ar}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kadim, Dia Abdul Zahra}}
[[Category:20th-century births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Hillah]]
[[Category:Self-declared messiahs]]
[[Category:Mahdism]]
[[Category:Najaf in the Iraq War]]

Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim - Revision history

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