By Tevfik Kadan
The Kiev administration had previously collaborated with PKK/PYD to conduct covert operations against Russian forces in Syria. Now it became public that Kyiv has reached out to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the terrorist group occupying Idlib. Kyiv’s objective is to secure the release of Chechen militants held in HTS prisons.
Local sources report that a Ukrainian delegation visited Idlib in recent months and met with leaders of the terrorist group HTS. The details of this meeting were also covered by the analysis website of the PKK terrorist organization, Lekolin.
According to Lekolin, the meeting in Idlib took place on June 18, 2024. The report writes that the Ukrainian delegation met with HTS leader Haitham al-Omari with strict security measures. What is interesting is that the Ukrainian delegation requested the release of notorious terrorist leader Abu Omar al-Shishani, who is reportedly being held in an HTS prison, along with some other Chechen and Georgian terrorists. In exchange for their release, the Ukrainians reportedly offered HTS 75 drones.
This deal suggests that while Kyiv aims to reorganize some radical figures to wage a paramilitary war against Putin and Kadyrov, the HTS would gain large military capabilities to strike Syrian and Russian forces.
“Release al-Shishani”
HTS holds numerous terrorists in its prisons in Idlib. Some of them are Chechen and Georgian, involved in war against Russia in the 2000s. Then, they moved to Syria to join the so-called “jihad” against Syria.
Omar al-Shishani was once called the “Minister of War” of ISIS. He fought against Russia in the Second Chechen War and then moved to Syria in 2012. Here, he owed allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
However, al-Shishani has been reported dead on five different occasions. Hence, Lekolin‘s report suggests either that Omar al-Shishani may still be alive or that there has been some confusion over identities. Another prominent Chechen militant, often mistaken for al-Shishani is Muslim al-Shishani who led a large Chechen group in the Latakia countryside at the start of the Syrian conflict. Muslim al-Shishani went to Idlib in 2016 but began to face issues with HTS leaders by 2021 and an arrest warrant was issued for him.
Some local sources report that both Muslim al-Shishani and his brother Musa al-Shishani are still imprisoned by HTS. Muslim al-Shishani is officially listed as terrorist by the UN, the US and Russia.
Did HTS agree to deal?
The Lekolin site claims that HTS accepted Kyiv’s terms last month and released some of the demanded figures, getting 75 drones in return. However, so far there is no verifiable information or footage to confirm these.
It is k known that the Kyiv administration is facing significant troop shortages and searching for additional reinforcements. After previously releasing its own prisoners and forming close ties with the PKK/PYD, it is not too surprising that Kyiv has turned to HTS for the same purpose.
Chechens in Syria
Since the outbreak of war in 2011, thousands of Chechen terrorists have gone to Syria to join the so-called jihad. These radicals, who previously fought against Russia in Chechnya and Georgia, are now fighting against both Syrian forces and Russian forces in Syria.
With the Astana Process in place, these Chechen militias have also begun to see Turkish forces as enemies. The most known Chechen groups in Syria include Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, the Caucasus Emirate (Syrian branch), Jund al-Sham and Ajnad al-Kavkaz. In addition to their battle against Syrian and Russian forces, these groups occasionally go to other countries to engage in mass killings.
A Chechen militant in Syria previously told the BBC: “There are no training camps or resources in the North Caucasus like there are in Syria. We feel ashamed to be here while the Caucasus is still occupied. But young people return home after receiving training here. A friend of mine went straight back to the mountains after training here in explosives”.
It seems that the Zelenskyy administration is now planning to reorganize these Chechen terrorists in Syria and deploy them in the front against Russia.