A Portrait of Omar al-Shishani: The Northern Commander in Syria of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

A Portrait of Omar al-Shishani: The Northern Commander in Syria of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

Omar al-Shishani, the commander of Jaish al-Muhajireen wa’l-Ansar, is regarded as the best known rebel leader in the country.

Omar (a.k.a. Tarkhan Batirashvili) was born in 1986 to a Christian and a Muslim mother. He hails from Birkiani, a poor village located in the Pankisi Valley of northeastern Georgia. From 2006 to 2008, he served his mandatory military service in the Georgian army. In 2010, he was discharged from the army after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. Two years later, he was arrested on charges related to illegally purchasing and storing weapons. While in prison, Omar befriended a cell mate who allegedly had links to a jihadi group in Chechnya. [1] Through regular exchanges between the two men, Omar developed an extremist ideology and began contemplating moving to a place where “Muslims were being persecuted.” [2] Before completing his three-year sentence, Omar was released due to his deteriorating health condition.

A Syrian activist told The Jamestown Foundation that when he was released, Omar traveled to Turkey, from where he planned to move to Yemen to join the holy jihad. However, his plans were drastically changed during his stay in Turkey. His hosts, a local Islamist network, encouraged him to join his brethren in Syria and to fight against the infidels there. [3] Omar observed the situation in Syria closely and finally decided to go there instead of Yemen. In an exclusive interview last November with Sana al-Sham, an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) weekly published in Syria, Omar said that his real intention in coming to Syria was to suppress “those who were calling for freedom and democracy.” He said that “Syrians were committing many sins such as drinking alcohol and smoking,” and he therefore needed to come to Syria to stop all those “forbidden behaviors” by working for the establishment of an Islamic state (Sana al-Sham, November 6, 2013).

By late August 2012, Omar was finally in Syria, later bringing his wife and only child from Georgia to join him (As-Safir, December 24, 2013; November 12, 2013). Soon after his arrival in Syria, Omar announced the formation of his al-Muhajireen Brigade. Al-Mujahireen Brigade worked under the command of Liwa Jaish Muhammad for until March 2013 when the two groups merged under his command. The new group, Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, was initially composed of about 1,600 men and engaged in several battles against Syrian army forces. Its first triumph came in early August 2013, when Omar and his forces stormed Minakh military airbase, located 26 miles north of Aleppo City (al-Jazeera, August 6, 2013). Omar was largely credited for the takeover of the strategically important military outpost. [4] Several weeks earlier, the group took over the Saif al-Dawla neighborhood in Aleppo City after more than a month of fighting against regime forces (Sana al-Sham, November 2013).

The takeover of the Minakh military airbase was overshadowed by a statement from Omar published on August 3, 2013, in which he expelled Amir Seifullah and 27 of his men, accusing the splinter group of embezzlement, stirring up resentment against the North Caucasians among the local population and apostasy. [5] The display of Omar’s intolerance of financial fraud and apostasy demonstrated his integrity and allowed him to consolidate his power (see Eurasia Daily Monitor, August 9, 2013).

Recognizing his combat and leadership skills, ISIS approved Omar’s pledge of allegiance in early October 2013. Ever since, his Jaish al-Muhajireen wa’l-Ansar operated under the command of ISIS. Co-opting Omar even further, ISIS instantaneously appointed him its northern commander, to continue the fight against the Kurdish Yekîneyên Parastina Gel (YPG—People’s Protection Units) (Asian News Agency [Delhi], October 3, 2013). Omar constantly reminds his followers that his affiliation with ISIS is merely a military alliance for “the common cause of Muslim brethren” and that it could change based on how events unfold on the ground (Sana al-Sham, November, 2013). [6]

Prior to the recent escalation of hostilities between the ISIS and the Islamic Front in Aleppo, Omar was deployed by ISIS to the eastern province of Deir Ezzor near the Syrian-Iraqi border to wage the ghazwa al-khair (Battle of Goodness) against Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN), the Islamic Front (IF) and Ahrar al-Sham. Recognized for his fighting skills—acquired while fighting the South Ossetia War with the Georgian army against Russia in 2008—and his well-trained, powerful group, Omar was appointed to command the battle (As-Safir [Beirut], December 24, 2013)

In addition to his fighting skills, Omar is known for his negotiation skills and ability to broker truces, such as those he made with other groups in Aleppo when he initially announced the formation of his group. Another example is when he reached an agreement with Ahrar al-Sham on January 6: Ahrar al-Sham would allow Omar’s convoy safe passage through the al-Jarrah military airbase in eastern Aleppo and in return Omar’s group would not launch assaults against any group linked to Ahrar al-Sham in that part of Aleppo. [8]

Omar will continue to play an important role in changing the course of the insurgency in Syria. Omar has been able to earn the respect of many foreign fighters—non-Syrian Arabs included. His leading role in several battles demonstrates his importance to ISIS in maintaining their combat superiority in areas where regime forces no longer exist. Regardless of how the fighting between warring sides unfolds, Omar’s influence will continue to grow in the volatile country, where jihadists from all over the globe have traveled to continue their holy war.

Sirwan Kajjo is a Syrian-Kurdish analyst based in Washington, DC. He writes extensively about Syrian and Kurdish politics.

Notes

1. Author’s interviews with activists and journalists from Dier Ezzor, Aleppo, and Raqqa between January 15 – 17, 2014.

2. Author’s interview with a local activist from Aleppo, who was arrested by Jaish al-Mujahireen wal-Ansar in late November 2013, January 6, 2014.

3. Author’s interview with a local activist, Deir Ezzor, January 14, 2014

4. Author’s interview with a local activist, Aleppo, January 6, 2014.

5. See the statement by Omar explaining his decision to expel Seifullah and 27 of his men: https://fisyria.com/?p=775.

6. Author’s interview with a member of al-Boukamal Local Council in Deir Ezzor, January 13, 2014.

7. A YouTube video, posted on January 6, 2014 shows convoys of Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar en route to Aleppo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN_Jqy_gExY.

8. A YouTube video posted on January 7, 2014 shows a documented signed by Omar of the ISIS and Abu Khaled al-Suri of Ahrar al-Sham, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC7H6lkzc4Y; Skype interview with Hawkar Musfata, Islamic affairs researcher based in Iraqi Kurdistan, January 14, 2014; In his interview with Sana al-Sham, Omar states that some rebel groups were still fighting his group because they did not consider him part of the ISIS.