Abu Humam al-Shami
| Abu Humam al-Shami | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Syria |
| Died |
5 March 2015 Idlib, Syria |
|
Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 al-Qaeda (Late 1990's) |
| Service/branch |
 al-Nusra Front (2012-present) |
| Rank | Military Chief of al-Nusra Front |
| Battles/wars |
Syria Lebanon |
Abu Humam al-Shami, (aka al-Suri, the Syrian), was the general military commander within the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front. He served as the groups military chief.[1]
Early life
Little is known about al-Shami. He is believed to be of Syrian origin.[1]
He traveled to Afghanistan between 1998 and 1999 and was believed to be in the Ghuraba training camp, run by Abu Musab al-Suri, for a year. He later joined al-Qaeda's al-Farouq training camp before moving on to the airport camp for specialist training.[1]
He pledged his allegiance to Osama Bin Laden and was placed in charge of Syrian jihadists in Afghanistan. He took part in al-Qaeda's battles at the time. Al-Shami was arrested and imprisoned in Lebanon for five years. After his release, he joined al-Qaeda in the Levant and become al-Nusra's military chief.[1]
Syrian Civil War
Upon joining the Syrian-based al-Qaeda affiliate, al-Nusra Front, al-Shami became the group's overall military chief.[1]
Relations with ISIL
In 2014, the al-Nusra Front was engaged in hostilities with the break away al-Qaeda faction, ISIL. Al-Shami was said to have spearheaded efforts in order to negotiate a ceasefire. He met with one of ISIL emir Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's chief deputies. Baghdadi’s deputy supposedly told al-Shami that either ISIL will annihilate everyone else, or ISIL itself will be annihilated. When al-Shami suggested that their differences could be settled in a common sharia court, Baghdadi’s deputy replied that they will bring their disagreements to a sharia court when the fight to the death is over.[2]
The al-Nusra Front finally brokered a ceasefire with ISIL, when al-Shami met with Abu Omar al-Shishani, the Chechen ISIL commander. But the ceasefire agreement, which is shown during the video, was short-lived. Some ISIL leaders urged al-Shishani not to sign the agreement, al-Shami said, but Shishani entered into it. The deal required ISIL to stop fighting all of the other factions and to settle its disputes in a common sharia court. Before the deal could be ratified however, ISIL detonated a car bomb. The bombing presumably brought the peace process to a halt.[2]
Death
On the 5 March 2015, Syrian state media claimed that al-Shami had been killed in a Syrian Army operation in the Idlib Province. However, other sources, including the SOHR, reported that al-Shami had been killed by a US-led Coalition airstrike.[3][4] His death was confirmed by al-Nusra Front.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Who's who in the Nusra Front?". al-Araby. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- 1 2 "Al Nusrah Front video features veteran al Qaeda military leader". The Long War Journal. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ "Syria's Qaeda leader killed in explosion - ARA News". ARA News.
- ↑ "About 4500 people including 366 civilians were killed over 17 months since the beginning of US-led coalition airstrikes on Syria". SOHR. February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- ↑ "Senior Nusra Front commander killed in Syria air strike". Al-Jazeera. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.