The Turkistan Islamic Party’s French-born fighter who was reportedly killed in Syria.
A social media account linked to the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) has confirmed that a second French national within the group’s ranks been killed in Syria. Little is known of the fighter’s background, however he appeared in a video released by the TIP last November.
The fighter was named as Ubeydullah from France in the social media account and was referred to as a shahid, or martyr, indicating that he has been killed. No date was given for his death, however it likely happened sometime late last year. His death marks the second time a French national has been killed fighting for the group in Syria. The first one, identified as Reda Layachi from Hérouville-Saint-Clair near Caen, was killed in Idlib Province in late 2015.
The TIP is an al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group comprised mainly of Uighurs from China’s western Xinjiang Province. However, it has at times highlighted non-Uighur members. This includes its former military leader in Syria, Abu Rida, who was a native Syrian. Other Syrians, as well as other Central Asians, have also been referenced. It is now known that at least two French-born combatants have been killed fighting for the TIP in Syria as well.
from Long War Journal – FDD's Long War Journal http://ift.tt/2l7QfS8
via Defense News
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