Abu Omar al-Shishani

Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili (Georgian: თარხან ბათირაშვილი; 11 January 1986 – 10 July 2016), known by his nom de guerre Abu Omar al-Shishani (Arabic: أَبُو عُمَرَ ٱلشِّيشَانِيِّ, romanized: ʾAbū ʿUmar aš-Šīšānī) or Omar al-Shishani, was a Chechen-Georgian jihadist who, as one of the Chechen mujahideen in Syria, served as the leader of the Muhajireen Battalion before defecting and becoming a commander for the Islamic State, and was previously a sergeant in the Georgian Army.

A veteran of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, Batirashvili became a jihadist after being discharged from the Georgian military and served in various command positions with Islamist militant groups fighting in the Syrian Civil War. He became the leader of the Muhajireen Brigade (Emigrants Brigade), and its successor, Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (Army of Emigrants and Supporters). In 2013, Batirashvili joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and rapidly became a senior commander in the organization, directing a series of battles and ultimately earning a seat on ISIL's shura council.

The US Treasury Department added Batirashvili to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists on 24 September 2014, and seven months later the US government announced a reward up to US$5 million for information leading to his capture. There were several reports of his death throughout 2015 and 2016. The Islamic State announced that he was killed in combat in the Iraqi city of Al-Shirqat, south of Mosul while the Pentagon said that Shishani had likely been killed in U.S. coalition air strikes in Syria, but could not confirm or deny it.