Giorgi Kushtanashvili (? December 2017), later known as Feyzullah Margoshvili, and commonly known by his ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' Salahuddin Shishani, was one of the Chechen mujahideen in Syria. He was briefly the head of

Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar Liwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (LMA, ), Brigade of Emigrants and Supporters or literally Banner of the Emigrants and Supporters), also known as Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (JMA or JAMWA, , Army of Emigrants and Supporters), formerly the Muhajire ...

and later headed Jaysh Usrah in Syria until his death in December 2017.

Early life

Shishani was born Giorgi Kushtanashvili, though he changed his name to Feyzullah Margoshvili and later took up the

Salahuddin Shishani.

Militant activities

He "fought alongside" Ruslan Gelayev during the wars in Chechnya. He participated in the 2001 Kodori crisis. He was involved in a July 2002 battle with Russian forces in

Itum-Kalinsky District Itum-Kalinsky District (; , ''Iton-Qällan khoşt'') is an administrativeDecree #500 and municipalLaw #46-RZ district (raion), one of the fifteen in the Chechen Republic, Russia. It is located in the south of the republic. The area of the district ...

, Russia after a group of militants had crossed the Russian-Georgian border, in which eight "Russian soldiers were killed" and seven "wounded." He was arrested in August 2002 alongside another Georgian, Robinzon Margoshvili, as well as a few Chechens. Shishani and Margoshvili were charged with "crossing the border illegally and trafficking explosives and weapons", to which they pled not guilty. The Russians were previously handed over to the Russian government, while the two Georgians were released in April 2003. He was sent to Syria on behalf of the

Caucasus Emirate The Caucasus Emirate (, IK; ), also known as the Caucasian Emirate, Emirate of Caucasus, or Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, was a jihadist organisation active in rebel-held parts of Syria and previously in the North Caucasus region of Russia. It ...

and served as a deputy to

Abu Omar al-Shishani Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili ( ka, თარხან ბათირაშვილი; 11 January 1986 – 10 July 2016), known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Omar al-Shishani () or Omar al-Shishani, was a Chechen- Georgian jihadist who ...

(JMWA) and was made the

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

following al-Shishani's defection to the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

(IS) in November 2013. Shishani traveled to

Raqqa Raqqa (, also , Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and b ...

and unsuccessfully sought a truce between the Islamic State and other rebel groups in his role as head of JMWA. IS attempted to assassinate him and killed his driver. He and his deputy, Abdul Karim Krymsky, served until June 2015, and were reportedly replaced with the assistance of

Al-Nusra Front Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...

. A sharia court had ruled against him and Krimsky, leading to their departure from the group. Following his ousting, he pledged

bay'ah ''Bayʿah'' (, "Pledge of allegiance"), in Islamic terminology, is an oath of allegiance to a leader. It is known to have been practiced by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Bedouin culture it was a procedure for choosing the leader of the trib ...

to the

. He and other former members of JMWA formed the Caucasus Emirate in Syria. He was removed as the head of the Caucasus Emirate in December 2015. He established Jaysh Usrah, which was primarily made up of Syrians, and had numbered around 300, though following his death, the group is likely defunct.

Death

Shishani was killed in

Hama Governorate Hama Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥamā'') is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in western-central Syria, bordering Idlib Governorate, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates to the north, Raqqa Gove ...

in December 2017, reportedly from a

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n airstrike.

References

{{reflist 2017 deaths Chechen Islamists Deaths by Russian airstrikes during the Syrian civil war Georgian people of Chechen descent Islamists from Georgia (country) Leaders of jihadist groups Salafi jihadists