Abu Omar al-Turkistani | |
|---|---|
 Abu Omar al-Turkistani in Afghanistan | |
| Born | Xinjiang, China[1] |
| Died | 1 January 2017[1] Sarmada, Syria[2] |
| Allegiance |  al-Qaeda (c. 2000–17)
 Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria (2015–17) |
| Years of service | c. 2000–2017 |
| Rank | IJU commander (until 2015)[1] Leader of Ansar Jihad[1] Leading TIP commander in Syria[2] |
| Battles / wars | War on Terror |
Abu Omar al-Turkistani[a] (Arabic: أبو عمر التركستاني; died 1 January 2017) was a high-ranking commander for several al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, such as the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), the Al-Nusra Front and the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria (TIP). Active as a militant since at least 2001, al-Turkistani fought in both the War in Afghanistan and the Syrian Civil War. By late 2016, he was considered to be "one of top ten leading 'jihadists' in Syria" and one of the "four most prominent leaders" of TIP.[2] Shortly before his death, al-Turkistani helped to facilitate the merger of many Islamist rebel groups into Tahrir al-Sham. He was eventually killed by an American drone strike on 1 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d Caleb Weiss (14 February 2017). "Uighur jihadist fought in Afghanistan, killed in Syria". Long War Journal. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ^ a b c "Two days after the killing of "jihadist" leaders… airstrikes by unknown warplanes again near Sarmada". SOHR. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
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