Liwa Hadhrat Abbas (Hadhrat Abbas Brigade) is an affiliate of the Iranian and Hezbollah-backed Local Defence Forces. In this post I document the life of Muhammad Zayd al-Zo'abi, who was a member of Liwa Hadhrat Abbas and originally from the locality of Izraa' in Deraa province. This biography presented below was written in the first person by his friend last month to commemorate the second anniversary of his death.
"I am Muhammad Zayd al-Zo'abi, born in Deraa/Izraa' 1989, married with a child called Salma. I enlisted with the auxiliary forces (the friends) on 15 August 2016 to protect the civilians and wage war on the terrorists of Da'esh [Islamic State]. I fought in the locality of Khan Arnabeh and al-Ba'ath City in Quneitra in September 2016, and I participated in the assignment of Hama countryside the locality of Ma'ardas and the locality of Tayyibat al-Imam on October 2016. And I participated in the assignment of protecting T4 airport in the city of Palmyra in December 2016.
And I participated in the assignment of the locality of Halfaya in Hama countryside in April 2017, and I fought the terrorists of Da'esh in the desert of Tanf in the assignment of protecting al-Sin airport in June 2017. And I participated in the assignment of protecting T3 station and the T2 station in November 2017, and I fought the terrorists of Da'esh in the countryside of Deir az-Zor the locality of al-Ma'izila in January 2018.
And at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday 13 January 2018 while I was on the road to transfer food and supplies to my companions at the al-Ma'izila dam point, the point was suddenly attacked by the terrorists of Da'esh. We resisted them and we killed some of them but there was a hail of gunfire towards me. I was wounded by explosive gunfire in my left foot which brought me down to the ground. As I was resisting and crawling to the screen, I was pierced by bullets into my lower right chest which made me lose consciousness. Help arrived to save me directing a medical cadre towards me that was pressing on my chest by force. As I was breathing my last they carried me to the ambulance to transfer me to the hospital as I looked at my four companions who had departed as martyrs but my fated death came and I was the fifth martyr and we moved to the Hereafter with God and His Paradise.
Grant salutations on us and pray for mercy on us
The anniversary of my martyrdom: 13 January 2020."