Salahuddin Shishani
Giorgi Kushtanashvili (? – December 2017), later known as Feyzullah Margoshvili and commonly known by his nom de guerre Salahuddin Shishani, was briefly the head of Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar and later headed Jaysh Usrah in Syria until his death in December 2017.
Life
[edit]Shishani was born Giorgi Kushtanashvili, though he changed his name to Feyzullah Margoshvili and later took up the nom de guerre Salahuddin Shishani.[1]
He "fought alongside" Ruslan Gelayev during the wars in Chechnya.[2]
He was sent to Syria on behalf of the Caucasus Emirate[2] and served as a deputy to Abu Omar al-Shishani in Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (JMWA)[3] and was made the emir following al-Shishani's defection to the Islamic State (IS) in November 2013.[4] Shishani traveled to Raqqa and unsuccessfully sought a truce between the Islamic State and other rebel groups in his role as head of JMWA.[5] IS attempted to assassinate him and killed his driver.[2] He and his deputy, Abdul Karim Krimsky, served until June 2015, and were reportedly replaced with the assistance of Al-Nusra Front.[4] A sharia court had ruled against him and Krimsky, leading to their departure from the group.[6]
Following his ousting, he pledged bay'ah to the Caucasus Emirate.[4] He and other former members of JMWA formed the Caucasus Emirate in Syria.[7] He was removed as the head of the Caucasus Emirate in December 2015.[8]
He established Jaysh Usrah,[9] which was primarily made up of Syrians,[10] and had numbered around 300,[11] though following his death, the group is likely defunct.[12]
Death
[edit]Shishani was killed in Hama Governorate in December 2017, reportedly from a Russian airstrike.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Paraszczuk, Joanna (15 April 2015). "Who is Salakhuddin Shishani aka Feyzullah Margoshvili (aka Giorgi Kushtanashvili?)". From Chechnya to Syria. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021.
- ^ a b c Roggio, Bill (28 May 2015). "Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar leader accuses Islamic State of creating 'fitna' between jihadist groups". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Souleimanov, Emil (2 July 2014). "Split Among North Caucasian Fighters in Syria". Central Asia-Caucasus Institute. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ a b c Roggio, Bill (10 July 2015). "Chechen commander in Syria pledges to Islamic Caucasus Emirate". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Paraszczuk, Joanna (13 November 2014). "Did IS Refuse Truce With Syrian Islamist Factions?". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Vatchagaev, Mairbek (10 July 2015). "Chechen Ousted as Amir of Jaish al-Muhadjireen wal-Ansar Rebel Group in Syria". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Weiss, Caleb (17 May 2016). "Caucasus Emirate in Syria fighting in Aleppo". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Paraszczuk, Joanna (3 December 2015). "BREAKING: Salakhuddin Shishani Removed As Emir Of Caucasus Emirate In Syria". From Chechnya to Syria. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022.
- ^ a b Weiss, Caleb (17 December 2017). "Chechen commander killed in northern Syria". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Paraszczuk, Joanna (29 February 2016). "UPDATED: Seiful Islam Shishani of Jaish Usro killed in Sheikh Maqsoud, Aleppo". From Chechnya to Syria. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ Vatchagaev, Mairbek (3 March 2016). "Chechens Fighting in Syria Increasingly Joining Forces With Islamic State". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ Hauer, Neil (19 April 2018). "The current and future state of Caucasian groups in Syria". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 4 January 2025.