Fighting Ghosts and Chasing the Wind: The Hero of Tal Afar

A brigadier general when the Iraqi Army was disbanded after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, Najim al-Jabouri was recruited to serve as the police chief of the al Qaeda stronghold of Tal Afar in Nineveh Province. When the mayor's collusion with al Qaeda became evident, Najim was asked to serve as mayor, as well as police chief. After President George W. Bush, speaking in Cleveland, Ohio, praised him by name for his loyal and determined work with American Forces in clearing terrorists from the city, Najim was shot by a sniper, his house was blown up and his family fled to Kurdistan until US Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, now national security adviser to the president, arranged safe passage to the United States for Najim and his family. In the United States, Najim served as an Iraq specialist at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, until Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Haider al-Abadi named him commander of Nineveh Operations, where he is leading the battle with DAESH in Mosul. Fighting Ghosts and Chasing the Wind, tells his story, from a young Air defense officer to his return to serving his beloved Iraq.

About the Author :
Craig Lancto is a veteran writer and editor who served as deputy chief of outreach and director of communications and media relations at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, where he and Najim became colleagues and friends. When Mr. Lancto retired in 2012, the two decided to collaborate on telling the story of Najim and the city of Tal Afar. Iraqi Major General Najim Abed al-Jubouri served as an Air Defense intelligence officer under Saddam Hussein. Following the dissolution of the Iraqi Army in 2003, MG al-Jubouri was asked to serve as police chief in the city of Tal Afar in Nineveh Province, when that lawless city was a terrorist haven and stronghold firmly under the control of al-Qaeda. When the mayor of Tal Afar was discovered to be closely allied with the terrorist network. Najim was asked to serve as mayor as well as police chief. In that dual role, Najim worked closely with American forces to root out al-Qaeda and make Tal Afar a safe and flourishing city again. When al Qaeda targeted the General and his family for assassination and blew up his house, American military friends helped him and his family to emigrate to the United States where they were granted sanctuary. In late 2008. MG al-Jabouri, usually called the Mayor, became a distinguished researcher at the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, DC. At NESA, one of the defense department's five regional centers, the Mayor lectured, directed seminars, and published papers on Iraqi issues. In 2015, the Mayor returned to Iraq when Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi appointed him commander of the forces fighting DAESH in Nineveh Province.