Abu Omar al-Shishani
أبو عمر الشيشاني
Also known as: Tarkhan Tayumurazov • Omar al-Shishani • ISIS Minister of War
Biography
Abu Omar al-Shishani (real name Tarkhan Tayumurazov) was a Chechen-Georgian military commander who became one of the most feared and effective field commanders of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Born in the Pankisi Gorge of Georgia — an ethnic Chechen area bordering Russia — he served in the Georgian army and fought in the 2008 Russia-Georgia war before being imprisoned in Georgia on weapons charges. After his release he traveled to Syria, joined jihadi groups in 2012–2013, and quickly rose to command ISIS's northern Syria operations. He led major ISIS offensives including the capture of Menagh Air Base (August 2013), key battles in Aleppo Province, and the advance across northern Syria in 2013–2014 that gave ISIS control of vast territory. He was appointed ISIS's 'Minister of War' — essentially military chief of staff — and was described by US officials as one of the most significant ISIS military leaders. He was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq in July 2016.