Jordanian medical student-turned-bomber killed in Iraq

AMMAN – The southern District of Ai in Karak is once again the centre of attention for many Jordanians. Previously, the district was in the spotlight for being the hometown of air force pilot Muath Kasasbeh, killed by the Daesh terror group early this year. This time, it was host to another traditional “condolence” gathering,  for a young militant  member of the same terror group that murdered Kasasbeh. 

Late last week, media reports said that Mohammad, the 23-year-old son of MP Mazen Dalaeen, was killed after blowing himself up in a suicide attack in Iraq’s Anbar province. The reports cited websites managed by Daesh.

Dalaeen, a lawmaker from Karak, confirmed the death of his son, who used to study medicine in Ukraine. 

He said his son left his studies in June, when he was persuaded by Daseh to head for Turkey and then infiltrate into Syria to join them. He then moved to Iraq, according to Al Rai daily. 

A relative of the grieving family gave The Jordan Times on Saturday the details of how the young man joined the terror group. 

Dalaeen attempted to see his son in mid-June in Ukraine. It was then that he became aware of the fact that Mohammad had started to propound extreme religious views, said the relative, who preferred to remain unnamed.  

The son was married to a Ukrainian woman wearing niqab, the full face veil, the source said. 

The following day, Dalaeen was supposed to meet his son but could not find him, the relative added. 

As he was searching for his son, Dalaeen was told by Jordanians in Ukraine that Mohammad had headed for Istanbul to join Daesh in Syria and Iraq. He followed him to Turkey but could not find him, according to the relative. 

“He did his absolute best to find Mohammad but could not. He even offered over JD100,000 in cash rewards in return for any information on his son,” the relative added, saying that the information he was providing to The Jordan Times was recounted to him by Dalaeen himself. 

The last contact between Mohammad and his family was on August 20, when he told them that he was in Mosul, in northern Iraq, and that he was preparing to join a suicide attack. 

“The contact was in a message to his mother. He asked her to forgive him,” said the relative of the family, who added that after joining Daesh Mohammad considered his family as apostates. 

The MP held a traditional “condolences house” in Ai, some 140 kilometres south of Amman, on Friday and Saturday.