Islamic State Says Its ‘Minister Of War’ Omar (The Chechen) al-Shishani Has Been Killed

The US had offered a $5m (£3.5m) reward for Omar Shishani

Reuters: Islamic State says 'minister of war' Shishani killed

Abu Omar al-Shishani, who the Pentagon described as Islamic State's "minister of war", was killed in combat in the Iraqi city of Shirqat, south of Mosul, a news agency that supports the militant group said on Wednesday.

The Pentagon said in March that Shishani had likely been killed in a U.S. air strike in Syria, but this was the first time the group appeared to confirm his death.

Reuters could not independently verify the statement from Amaq news agency, which Islamic State regularly uses to issue reports and which denied Shishani's death after the Pentagon's comments in March.

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More News On The Islamic State Saying Its ‘Minister Of War’ Omar (The Chechen) al-Shishani Has Been Killed

Islamic State confirms key commander Omar Shishani dead -- BBC
Top IS commander Shishani killed: jihadist-linked agency -- AFP
IS says senior commander al-Shishani killed in Iraq -- AP
'Islamic State' says top commander Shishani killed in Iraq -- DW
Abu Omar al Shishani killed south of Mosul, Islamic State says -- Long War Journal
Isis confirms death of hugely popular 'minister of war' Omar al-Shishani -- The Independent
IS confirms death of ‘the Chechen’ aka Abu Omar al-Shishani -- News.com.au
Iraq: ISIL says Omar al-Shishani killed in air strike -- Al Jazeera
ISIS says its ‘minister of war’ Omar the Chechen has been killed -- RT
US working to confirm it killed top ISIS leader, again -- CNN

Report: Islamic State's 'War Minister' Omar al-Shishani Is Dead

Chechen Omar al-Shishani (centre) led Jaysh al-Muhajirin before it split, and is now part of the al-Qaeda-affiliated ISIS. BBC

The Guardian: Islamic State's 'war minister' Omar al-Shishani 'clinically dead'

Senior Isis commander is reportedly not able to breathe on his own, following a US air strike in northern Syria

Senior Islamic State commander Omar al-Shishani has been “clinically dead” for several days following a US air strike in northern Syria, according to a monitoring group.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said on Sunday: “Shishani is not able to breathe on his own and is using machines. He has been clinically dead for several days.”

Abdel Rahman said the notorious commander, known as Omar the Chechen, was in a hospital in the northern province of Raqqa, Isis’s bastion in Syria.

A US official said on 9 March that Shishani “likely died” in a barrage of US-led air strikes on 4 March in north-eastern Syria.

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Update: Isis 'minister of war' Omar al-Shishani 'clinically dead' after US airstrike (IBtimes)

WNU Editor: It is not the first time that he has been reported dead. But if he is dead, it is a blow to the Islamic State.

Islamic State 'War Minister' Injured Not Killed In U.S. Air Strike

BBC: IS commander Shishani 'survived US air strike in Syria'

A monitoring group says a top commander of so-called Islamic State was badly wounded but not killed in a recent US air strike in north-eastern Syria.

On Tuesday, US defence officials said Tarkhan Batirashvili, a Georgian known as Omar Shishani, likely died in the attack near Shaddadi on Friday.

But the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had information he had been taken for treatment in Raqqa.

There has so far been no comment from IS on the report of Shishani's death.

Last year, the US offered a $5m (£3.5m) reward for Shishani, whom it said had held numerous top military positions within the group, including "minister of war".

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More News On Islamic State 'War Minister' Injured Not Killed In U.S. Air Strike

ISIS commander still alive, badly wounded: Syria Observatory -- Reuters
Isis 'minister of war' was wounded not killed in airstrike, say activists -- The Guardian
IS commander only 'injured' in US strike -- DW
Top ISIS leader 'critically injured' in U.S. airstrike, activists say -- CNN
Omar the Chechen 'alive': Isis minister of war did not die in US air strike, claims monitoring group -- The Independent
Top ISIS commander ‘Omar the Chechen’ survived US strike, report says -- AFP
ISIS General Omar 'The Chechen' Al-Shishani Still Alive After Airstrike -- Newsweek

U.S. Official: Islamic State 'War Minister' Possibly Killed In Air Strike

Senior Islamic State leader, Abu Omar al-Shishani, also known as Omar the Chechen. REUTERS/US. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Reuters: Islamic State's de facto 'minister of war' possibly killed: U.S. officials

A red-bearded Islamic State commander described by American officials as the group's de facto minister of war may have been killed in an air strike in Syria on Friday by the U.S.-led coalition, several U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

Abu Omar al-Shishani, also known as Omar the Chechen, ranked among the most wanted militants under a U.S. reward program that offered up to $5 million for information to help remove him from the battlefield.

Born in 1986 in Georgia, which was then still part of the Soviet Union, Shishani had a reputation as a close military adviser to Islamic State's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was said by followers to have relied heavily on him.

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WNU Editor: This is not the first time that his death has been reported. But if true .... good riddance I say.

More News On Reports That Senior Islamic State Leader Abu Omar al-Shishani Was Killed In A U.S. Air Strike

Officials: US airstrike targeted IS military commander -- AP
IS commander 'likely killed' in Syria air strike: US official -- AFP
Pentagon official: ISIS Secretary of Defense likely killed in airstrike -- Washington Post
Have US airstrikes killed ISIS' red-bearded minister of war? 'Omar the Chechen' targeted in Syria bombing raid but his fate is unknown -- Daily Mail
US Trying to Determine if Key IS Leader Killed in Airstrike -- VOA
Isis leader Abu Omar al-Shishani - also known as Omar the Chechen - 'killed in US airstrike' -- The Independent
Chechen ISIS Fighter Dead? Abu Omar Al-Shishani, Top Islamic State Commander, May Have Been Killed By US Airstrike -- IBTimes
U.S. Says Airstrike Targeted a Top Islamic State Military Commander in Syria -- WSJ

Russia Is Also A Target For The Islamic State

Omar al-Shishani, seen in a new Al Hayat Media Centre video released by the Islamic State(Joanna Paraszczuk/Twitter)

Islamic State Grooms Chechen Fighters Against Putin -- Bloomberg Businessweek

When the Islamic State commander known as “Omar the Chechen” called to tell his father they’d routed the Iraqi army and taken the city of Mosul, he added a stark message: Russia would be next.

“He said ‘don’t worry dad, I’ll come home and show the Russians,’” Temur Batirashvili said from his home in Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge, on the border with the Russian region of Chechnya. “I have many thousands following me now and I’ll get more. We’ll have our revenge against Russia.”

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My Comment: The Muslim insurgency in the Caucasus has been ongoing for years .... so having Chechen fighters showing up in Afghanistan, the Middle East .... this is nothing new. But Omar al-Shishani is a unique individual .... and probably a high priority target for Iraq/Syria/U.S./and Russia.

Here is a good post on Omar al-Shishani .... The Islamic State’s Anbar Offensive and Abu Umar al-Shishani -- Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, War On The Rocks