Lavdrim Muhaxheri

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Lavdrim Muhaxheri
Lavdrim Muhaxheri.jpeg
Image from Interpol wanted profile
Other name(s)Abu Abdullah al Kosova; Abu Abdallah al-Kosovi
Born1989
Kačanik, Yugoslavia (now Kosovo)
Died8 June 2017(2017-06-08) (aged 27–28)
Syria
Allegiance NATO (2010–12)
al-Nusra Front (late 2012)
Islamic State (2013–2017)
Unitethnic Albanian mujahideen
Military conflicts Syrian Civil War
Iraqi Civil War

Lavdrim Muhaxheri ( /ˌmhəˈdʒɛri/ ; 1989 or ca. 1987 – 8 June 2017), also known by the nom de guerre Abu Abdullah al Kosova, was a Kosovar Albanian Islamic State (IS) leader and recruiter of ethnic Albanian jihadi foreign fighters fighting in Syria and in Iraq. A former KFOR and NATO employee, he became an extremist and left for Syria in late 2012. He appeared in several propaganda videos, calling Albanians to join jihad, and uploaded photographs of himself appearing to decapitate a man, as well as a video where he kills a captive with a rocket. On 24 September 2014, the U.S. Department of State designated Muhaxheri as a global terrorist.

Contents

On 8 June 2017, without providing further details, Muhaxheri's death was announced by his family and police in Kosovo. He was allegedly killed in a U.S. airstrike.

Early life

Lavdrim Muhaxheri, a Kosovo Albanian Muslim, was born on 12 March 1989 (according to Interpol [1] ) or 3 December 1989 or ca. 1987 (according to UN [2] ) in Kačanik, [3] [4] SFR Yugoslavia. Muhaxheri grew up during the Kosovo War (1998–99). He worked at Kosovo Force (KFOR) camp "Camp Bondsteel" [4] in Ferizaj until 2010, when he was promoted to a NATO training camp in Afghanistan. [5]

Muhaxheri served with NATO at a training camp in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2012, then returned to Kosovo. In late 2012, he became associated with extremist Islamist associations, first with a local organization, "Parimi", which then established the Islamic Youth-Kaçanik organization, in which he was appointed emir (military leader). [6] The organization was formed within the Islamic Community of Kosova (ICK). [5] His friends told media that he had not been radical prior to joining the Islamist associations. [5] Muhaxheri claimed in Facebook posts at the time that he controlled the appointment of the imam at the Kaçanik Mosque, the center of a conflict between radicals and traditional locals. [7] He also threatened to kill people who criticized Kosovo Albanians going to Syria to fight. [7]

Militant activity

Arriving in Syria in late 2012, he joined the Syrian Civil War as a mujahid and became a leader of a unit of ethnic Albanian mujahideen, connected to the al-Nusra Front. [5] He returned to Kosovo in 2013, and was present at the 2013 Ramadan festival, as part of the Islamic Community of Kosova, in Kačanik, as evidenced by photographs. [6] He then returned to Syria the same year, becoming a mujahideen leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or IS), directly reporting to IS caliph Abu al-Baghdadi, leading a platoon of ethnic Albanian fighters. [6] Muhaxheri was a link between the IS and ethnic Albanians in Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia. [8] Some 500 ethnic Albanians from the Western Balkans fight for the IS, out of whom 232 are from Kosovo (May 2015). [8] Muhaxheri was described as an "intelligent and an experienced military strategist". [8]

In October 2013, Muhaxheri appeared in a video calling Albanians to join their fight. [9] In the IS propaganda film Clanging of the Swords IV, he is seen alongside other Albanians from Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, brandishing a sword and then destroying their passports. [9] [10] The film, posted on 17 May 2014, is an "extremely violent hour-long film", whose "production style is reminiscent of Hollywood blockbusters". [11]

On 29 July 2014, [12] Muhaxheri uploaded photos to a Facebook page where he is seen beheading an unidentified young man in Syria. [4] [10] In an interview with the Albanian daily "Dita", posted on 2 August 2014, Muhaxheri said that the man was a 19-year-old spy, and that he had acted according to the Quran. On 15 August 2014, Interpol received an international warrant request from Kosovo authorities. [13]

On 18 August 2014, Iraqi Kurdish media channel KNNC reported that Muhaxheri had been killed and published photos allegedly showing his dead body. [14] Muhaxheri's friend denied the claims of his death, [9] while Muhaxheri's Facebook page was deleted, leading to speculations whether Muhaxheri was alive. [8] In late August, Kosovo authorities arrested forty citizens suspected of engaging in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, including several imams within the Islamic Community of Kosova, in an effort to suppress radical Islamism and Wahhabism. [15] Muhaxheri's actions prompted a new law prohibiting the teaching of Wahhabism in Kosovo. [15] On 24 September 2014, the U.S. Department of State designated Muhaxheri a global terrorist. [a]

In another video published by activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RSS) on 21 May 2015, Lavdrim Muhaxheri is seen firing a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at a captive in Syria. [8] It is unclear if it is a new or old video; a RSS activist believed it to be new, while an Albanian researcher questioned that it was a new video that proved he was still alive, while another analyst said it was at least newer than August 2014. [8] In the video, Muhaxheri interrogates the captive, who says that he had killed two IS fighters with a RPG; Muhaxheri condemns the captive to death by RPG as well. [8]

Muhaxheri was last reported to be in Syria in 2015. [3] [16] On 29 August 2015, an IS propaganda video promoting the new currency was published, [17] in which Muhaxheri is seen handling golden coins (dinars). [18] Several ethnic Albanian jihadists living in Italy, with connections to Muhaxheri, were arrested by Italian police in November 2015. [19] On 29 December 2015 it was reported that he was in Iraq, according to photographs posted on Twitter. [20]

Between 4 and 16 November 2016, eighteen Kosovo Albanians and one Macedonian Albanian were arrested suspected of planning terrorist attacks in Kosovo and Albania. They were coordinated by Muhaxheri and fellow IS fighter Ridvan Haqifi. According to the prosecution, the terrorist group planned attacks on international and state institutions, ultimately with the intent to establish an Islamic state. They planned to attack the Israeli football team during a match in Albania.[ citation needed ]

Death

On 8 June 2017, Kosovo police and his family said that Muhaxheri was killed in Syria without providing further details. [21] According to local media reports, citing Kosovar Interior Ministry sources, it was indicated that he was killed in a U.S airstrike close to the ISIL capital city of Raqqa. [22]

Annotations

  1. ^
    Quoting the press release: "Lavdrim Muhaxheri is a Kosovar Albanian foreign fighter for ISIL who operates in both Syria and Iraq. Muhaxheri made international headlines in July 2014 after uploading to Facebook graphic photos of himself beheading a young man." [23] The State Department and Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions, freezing assets and blocking financial transactions for "Islamist fighters" including Muhaxheri. [24] On 2 October 2014, a statement on Muhaxheri by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry dated 17 September 2014 was published in the Federal Register wherein Muhaxheri was described as a threat to U.S. national security and, thereby, "blacklisted" from the United States. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skopska Crna Gora</span> Mountain range in southeastern Europe

Skopska Crna Gora or Karadak Mountains, often called simply Crna Gora, is a mountain range and ethnographic region in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia. The highest peak is Ramno 1,651 m (5,417 ft) in Macedonia. The largest town on the mountain is Kučevište in North Macedonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign fighters in the Syrian civil war and War in Iraq</span>

Foreign fighters have fought on all four sides of the Syrian Civil War, as well both sides of the War in Iraq. In addition to Sunni foreign fighters, Shia fighters from several countries have joined pro-government militias in Syria, leftist militants have joined Kurdish forces, and other foreign fighters have joined jihadist organizations and private military contractors recruit globally. Estimates of the total number of foreign Sunnis who have fought for the Syrian rebels over the course of the conflict range from 5,000 to over 10,000, while foreign Shia fighters numbered around 10,000 or less in 2013 rising to between 15,000 and 25,000 in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State of Iraq</span> Militant Salafist jihadist group in Iraq (2006–2013)

The Islamic State of Iraq was a Salafi jihadist militant organization that fought the forces of the U.S.-led coalition during the Iraqi insurgency. The organization aimed to overthrow the Iraqi federal government and establish an Islamic state governed by Sharia law in Iraq.

The persecution of Christians by the Islamic State involves the systematic mass murder of Christian minorities, within the regions of Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Nigeria controlled by the Islamic extremist group Islamic State. Persecution of Christian minorities climaxed following the Syrian civil war and later by its spillover but has since intensified further. Christians have been subjected to massacres, forced conversions, rape, sexual slavery, and the systematic destruction of their historical sites, churches and other places of worship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War against the Islamic State</span> Military actions against the Islamic State

Many states began to intervene against the Islamic State, in both the Syrian civil war and the War in Iraq (2013–2017), in response to its rapid territorial gains from its 2014 Northern Iraq offensives, universally condemned executions, human rights abuses and the fear of further spillovers of the Syrian Civil War. These efforts are called the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) or the international military intervention against Islamic State (ISIS). In later years, there were also minor interventions by some states against IS-affiliated groups in Nigeria and Libya. All these efforts significantly degraded the Islamic State's capabilities by around 2019–2020. While moderate fighting continues in Syria, as of 2024, ISIS has been contained to a manageably small area and force capability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State beheadings</span> Mostly 2014–2015 beheadings by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Beginning in 2014, a number of people from various countries were beheaded by the Islamic State (IS), a radical Sunni Jihadist group operating in Iraq and Syria as well as elsewhere. In January 2014, a copy of an IS penal code surfaced describing the penalties it enforces in areas under its control, including multiple beheadings. Beheading videos have been frequently posted by IS members to social media. Several of the recorded beheadings were conducted by Mohammed Emwazi, whom the media referred to as "Jihadi John" before his identification. The beheadings received wide coverage around the world and attracted international condemnation. Political scientist Max Abrahms posited that IS may be using well-publicized beheadings as a means of differentiating itself from Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and identifying itself with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Qaeda member who beheaded Daniel Pearl. The publicised beheadings represent a small proportion of a larger number of total people killed following capture by IS.

Al-Hayat Media Center is a media wing of the Islamic State. It was established in mid-2014 and targets international (non-Arabic) audiences as opposed to their other Arabic-focused media wings and produces material, mostly Nasheeds, in English, German, Russian, Urdu, Indonesian, Turkish, Bengali, Chinese, Bosnian, Kurdish, Uyghur, and French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military of the Islamic State</span> Military unit

The Military of the Islamic State is the fighting force of the Islamic State (IS). The total force size at its peak was estimated from tens of thousands to over 200,000. IS's armed forces grew quickly during its territorial expansion in 2014. The IS military, including groups incorporated into it in 2014, openly operates and controls territory in multiple cities in Libya and Nigeria. In October 2016, it conquered the city of Qandala in Puntland, Somalia. It conquered much of eastern Syria and western Iraq in 2014, territory it lost finally only in 2019. It also has had border clashes with and made incursions into Lebanon, Iran, and Jordan. IS-linked groups operate in Algeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and in West Africa. In January 2015, IS was also confirmed to have a military presence in Afghanistan and in Yemen.

There has been an increase in incidents involving alleged radical Islamism in the Balkans since the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade</span> Islamist militant group active in the Gaza Strip

The Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade, also known as Islamic State in Gaza, was an Islamist militant group affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant that was reportedly active in the Gaza Strip around 2015. Its goals have consistently matched those of the Islamic State, in that it seeks to establish the al-Sham caliphate. As such, it opposes all forms of Palestinian nationalism while also supporting the elimination of all Jews and other ethno-religious 'infidels' from the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the War in Iraq (2014)</span>

The Timeline of the War in Iraq covers the War in Iraq, a war which erupted that lasted in Iraq from 2013 to 2017, during the first year of armed conflict.

In early 2014, the jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant captured extensive territory in Western Iraq in the Anbar campaign, while counter-offensives against it were mounted in Syria. Raqqa in Syria became its headquarters. The Wall Street Journal estimated that eight million people lived under its control in the two countries.

Collaboration with the Islamic State refers to the cooperation and assistance given by governments, non-state actors, and private individuals to the Islamic State (IS) during the Syrian Civil War, Iraqi Civil War, and Libyan Civil War.

Simultaneous attacks planned in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia were thwarted in November 2016. Nineteen people were arrested in Kosovo, and six more in Albania and Macedonia, for a total of twenty five arrests, making it one of the largest terror-related arrests in Europe in recent years. Explosives, weapons, electronic equipment, and material related to extremist religious groups were seized during the raids following the arrests.

Abdulaziz al-Mahdali, known as Abu Usamah al-Maghrebi, was a Moroccan senior military commander of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Ridvan Haqifi, also known by the nom de guerreAbu Muqatil al-Kosovo, was a Kosovo Albanian Islamic State (IS) leader and recruiter of ethnic Albanian jihadi foreign fighters fighting in Syria and in Iraq. He was born in Bukovik, Gjilan, Kosovo. He was a close associate with fellow Kosovo Albanian Lavdrim Muhaxheri. Both Haqifi and Muhaxheri were proteges of radical Kosovar Imam Zekerija Qazimi, who was found guilty and jailed for ten years in May 2016. Haqifi stood beside Muhaxheri and other ethnic Albanian mujahideen in the ISIS propaganda film in which they called Albanians to join their fight and then burnt their passports. His two brothers also fought in Syria. He was killed by an airstrike on 8 February 2017.

Zulfi Hoxha, also known by the nom de guerre (kunya) Abu Hamza al-Amriki, or Al Ameriki, was an Albanian-American Islamic State (IS) senior commander and recruiter of foreign fighters fighting in Syria and in Iraq.

The origins of the Islamic State group can be traced back to three main organizations. Earliest of these was the "Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād" organization, founded by the Jihadist leader Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi in Jordan in 1999. The other two predecessor organizations emerged during the Iraqi insurgency against the U.S. occupation forces. These included the "Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah" group founded by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2004 and the "Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah" group founded by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his associates in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign fighters in the Syrian civil war</span>

Foreign fighters in the Syrian civil war have come to Syria and joined all four sides in the war. In addition to Sunni foreign fighters arriving to defend the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or join the Syrian rebels, Shia fighters from several countries have joined pro-government militias in Syria, and leftists have become foreign fighters in the Syrian Democratic Forces.

References

  1. Interpol.
  2. "SCA/2/15 (31)" (PDF). United Nations. 29 September 2015: 2.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. 1 2 Freeman, Colin (23 August 2015). "Inside Kacanik, Kosovo's jihadist capital". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "K. Albanian who committed gruesome crimes 'is dead'". B92 (Serbian television station). 19 August 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Ekskluzive: Biografia e Lavdrim Muhaxherit" [Exclusive: Biography Lavdrim Muhaxheri]. KosovaPress.com. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2015. (translated into English with Google translate)
  6. 1 2 3 Gazeta Express 2014.
  7. 1 2 Schwartz 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Paraszczuk 2015b.
  9. 1 2 3 Paraszczuk 2015a.
  10. 1 2 "Balkan fighters abroad: Holy warriors". The Economist . 21 August 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  11. "ISIS jihadists put out Hollywood-style propaganda film". 13 June 2014.
  12. "FOTOT TRONDITESE/ Lavdrim Muhaxheri pret koka njerëzish në Siri". Gazeta Tema. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  13. "International arrest warrant for Lavdrim Muhaxheri". Gazeta Express. 15 August 2014.
  14. "Lavdrim Muhaxheri nuk ka vdekur, thotë bashkëluftëtari i tij Fitim Lladrovci". Telegrafi.com. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. 1 2 Kelmendi, Violeta Hyseni (25 August 2014). "Kosovo mobilizes to fight religious radicalism and terrorism". Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso . Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  16. "Financial Sanctions Notice" (PDF). HM Treasury. 9 October 2015. MUHAXHERI, Lavdrim (Group ID: 13296){{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. "Why Islamic State's gold coins won't replace the global banking system". The Economist explains. Economist. 3 September 2015.
  18. "Imazhi i ISIS-it, Lavdrim Muhaxheri [video]". Koha. 1 September 2015.
  19. Albertini, Matteo (6 December 2015). "Italy and Kosovo Intensify Actions against another ISIS-linked Group". Balkan Analysis. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  20. "Iraq: New photos of Lavdrim Muhaxheri come into sight". RTK. 29 December 2015.
  21. "Kosovo IS commander killed, police and family say". Euronews. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  22. "WHO IS LAVDRIM MUHAXHERI? ISIS BALKANS COMMANDER, ARCHITECT OF ISRAEL WORLD CUP PLOT, NOW DEAD". Newsweek. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  23. "Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters". State.gov. United States Department of State. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2015. Lavdrim Muhaxheri is a Kosovar Albanian foreign fighter for ISIL who operates in both Syria and Iraq. Muhaxheri made international headlines in July 2014 after uploading to Facebook graphic photos of himself beheading a young man.
  24. "U.S. imposes financial sanctions on Islamist fighters". News724.com. Reuters. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  25. Kerry, John F. (2 October 2014). "In the Matter of the Designation of Lavdrim Muhaxheri, also known as Ebu Abdullah el Albani, also known as Abu Abdullah al Kosova, also known as Abu Abdallah al-Kosovi, also known as Abu Abdallah al-Kosovo as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Pursuant to Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as Amended". FederalRegister.gov. Retrieved 13 September 2015.

Sources