Abu Omar al-Shishani

Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili (Georgian: თარხან ბათირაშვილი; 11 February 1986 – presumedly dead in July 2016), known by his nom de guerre Abu Omar al-Shishani (Arabic: أبو عمر الشيشاني, Abū ‘Umar ash-Shīshānī, "Abu Omar the Chechen")[1] or Omar al-Shishani, was a Georgian Kist jihadist. He served as a commander for the Islamic State in Syria, and previously as a sergeant in the Georgian Army. In 2013, Batirashvili joined the Islamic State and rapidly became a senior commander in the organization, directing a series of battles and ultimately earning a seat on ISIS's shura council.

U.S. officials reported that Batirashvili died from injuries several days after being the target of a 4 March 2016 U.S. airstrike, near the Al-Shaddadah district in Northern Syria, however, the Islamic State denied these claims and its Amaq News Agency confirmed that Shishani was killed in July 2016 during fighting in the Iraqi city of Shirqat, south of Mosul, Iraq.[2]

References

  1. Mroue, Bassem (2 July 2014). "Chechen in Syria a rising star in extremist group". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  2. "Thomas Joscelyn on Twitter".