October 16, 2014 | Quote
Islamic State Commander Key Figure Behind Recent Military Gains
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“Umar al Shishani appears to be central to ISIL’s Anbar offensive,” said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a Washington-based counterterrorism analyst.
The IS commander is using tactics far different than those used by IS fighters elsewhere in the region, he said.
“The group, in the majority of areas, has fought like a conventional military, but Shishani has emphasized speed and agility, and his tactics have several layers of complexity, including regularly utilizing feints and harassing attacks to try to force his opponents to chase him and thus place themselves in a vulnerable position,” said Gartenstein-Ross of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The battlefield successes led by the IS leader in Iraq contrast sharply with those used by other IS forces in northern Syria, where the group has been fighting to take control of the ethnic Kurdish town of Kobani near the Turkish border.
As a result, Shishani’s military style combining insurgency and traditional military tactics will likely be adopted by other IS units, or the group’s current military offensive risks stalling, Gartenstein-Ross said.
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Bill Roggio, another counterterrorism expert and editor of the online Long War Journal, also credits Shishani with key battlefield expertise. Roggio said it is not clear that Shishani is leading the fight in Anbar as a cadre of his fighters were spotted in Kobani, on the Syrian border with Turkey.
“Omar Shishani is an effective field commander and many of the Islamic State’s tactical and strategic wins in Syria and Iraq can be credited to him,” Roggio said. “His fighters, many who are from [Russia’s] Caucasus, are often at the Islamic State’s vanguard in the most important battles in both countries.”
Roggio said Shishani was added to the U.S. government’s list of global terrorists for good reason: “He is a dangerous and capable commander.”
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