Abu Salah al-Uzbeki
Sirojiddin Mukhtarov (1990 – 8 September 2022),[1] commonly known by his nom de guerre Abu Salah al-Uzbeki, was the head of the Ansar al-Din Front in Syria[2] and was the founder of Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (KTWJ).
Life
[edit]al-Uzbeki headed KTWJ, which he formed in 2013, until he was deposed in 2019.[3] As head of KTWJ, he reaffirmed his bay'ah to Al Qaeda in January 2019.[4]
He and 50 other fighters defected from Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and joined the Ansar al-Din Front.[5]
The So Be Steadfast Operations Room was formed in June 2020 by Hurras al-Din, Ansar al-Din Front, Jihad Coordination and the Ansar Fighters Brigade,[6] as well as Ansar al-Islam.[5] His arrest on 16 June 2020[7] led to infighting between HTS and other militant groups.[8] al-Uzbeki was released in March 2021, after serving nine months.[9]
al-Uzbeki was reportedly killed in a Russian air raid on Idlib on 8 September 2022, though his death was denied by HTS.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Terrorist group's leader, native of Kyrgyzstan, killed by Russian forces in Syria". GFATF. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ Vanessa Beeley (2 December 2024). "On the Ground in Syria: Terrorist groups, Turkish threats & Russian overtures". Substack. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ Uran Botobekov (19 April 2020). "Uzbek's Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad changed its leader". Modern Diplomacy. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ Uran Botobekov (2 May 2019). "Central Asian Salafi-Jihadi and Al Qaeda: From Bayat to Global Jihad". CACI. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ a b Uran Botobekov (10 July 2020). "Top Uzbek Jihadist Leader Suffers for Loyalty to Al Qaeda". Modern Diplomacy. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ Aaron Y. Zelin (9 September 2020). "Living Long Enough to See Yourself Become the Villain: The Case of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ Caleb Weiss (17 June 2020). "Hay'at Tahrir al Sham reportedly arrests Uzbek jihadist leader". Long War Journal. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ "Striving for Hegemony: The HTS Crackdown on al-Qaida and Friends in Northwest Syria". Jihadica. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ Aya Ezz (22 March 2021). "Abu Saleh al-Uzbeki: Terrorist who turned against Tahrir al-Sham". The Portal Center. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ Hussam al-Mahmoud; Hassan Ibrahim; Khaled al-Jeratli (29 November 2022). ""Jihadists" under grip of "jihadists"". Enab Baladi. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
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