Malhama Tactical

Malhama Tactical
Company typePrivate
IndustryPrivate military company
FoundedIdlib Governorate, Syria, 2015
FoundersAbu Rofiq (Abu Salman) †
Area served
Syria
Key people
  • Ali al-Shishani
  • Abu Salman Belarusi †
  • Abu Rofiq †
ServicesMilitary consultation and training

Malhama Tactical is a private military contractor operating in the Syrian Civil War.[1] The group, founded by a pseudonymous Uzbeki jihadist called Abu Rofiq,[1] is closely allied with Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and its successor group Tahrir al-Sham.[2] Its around dozen members occasionally participate in combat and run guns, but primarily provide training.[1] The company has worked with Ahrar al-Sham and the Turkistan Islamic Party.[1] According to the pro-government Al-Masdar News, its leader Abu Rofiq was killed in an airstrike on 7 February 2017,[3] though his death has been questioned.[4] The group stands in opposition to ISIS.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d "The Blackwater of Jihad". Foreign Policy.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference track was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Lapkin, Ivan (February 7, 2017). "Unknown airstrike kills elite Nusra's squad leader in Idlib". Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  4. ^ "'Malhama Tactical' - so-called 'Islamic private military company' ... Myth and reality". War Diary. R&U Videos. 9 January 2019. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  5. ^ OGN TV via YouTube (11 June 2020) Who is Training Mujahideen Special Forces?