Abu Muhammad al-Shimali


Tarad Mohammad al-Jarba , better known by his kunya Abu Muhammad al-Shimali, was an Iraqi-born citizen of Saudi Arabia and a senior leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

History

Abu Muhammad al-Shimali joined Al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2005, continuing his association with the group when it became ISIL. He is from the al-Jarba branch of the Shammar tribe.

Militant activity

According to the United States Department of State Rewards for Justice Program, he serves "as a key leader in ISIL’s Immigration and Logistics Committee" and helps foreigners travel to fight in Syria, usually via Gaziantep, Turkey, and the Syrian border town of Jarabulus, which at the time ISIL controlled. Al-Shimali and his logistics teams also control smuggling, financial transfers and movement of supplies into Syria and Iraq from Europe, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula.
On September 29, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury placed al-Shimali on its Specially Designated Nationals list for acting for or on behalf of ISIL. The designation blocks his financial assets and prohibits U.S. persons and financial institutions from dealing with him. On the same day, he was also listed on the United Nations Security Council 1267/1989 Sanctions List, which imposes a travel ban, asset freeze, and arms embargo on Al-Shimali. Al-Shimali is also the subject of an active INTERPOL-UN Special Notice, which is issued to alert law enforcement agencies worldwide that an individual or entity is subject to UN sanctions.
According to The Telegraph he may have played a role in the November 2015 Paris attacks due to his position in managing the flow of fighters across the Syria–Turkey border.
On 8 September 2017, al-Shimali was allegedly killed during a Russian airstrike in Deir ez-Zor, possibly along with Gulmurod Khalimov. He remains the subject of a $5,000,000 bounty by the Rewards for Justice Program.