Abu Rida al Turkistani in a 2014 video released by the Turkistan Islamic Party
In a tweet from the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), the al Qaeda-linked group confirms its military commander in Syria, Abu Rida al Turkistani, was killed recently at Jisr al Shughur. Not much is known about the commander, but he might have been a native Syrian as he has also been identified as "Abu Rida al Turkistani (Ansari)."
The commander has been featured in several videos since 2014. In one video from 2014, Abu Rida was featured quite frequently speaking to the camera, as well as featured among several TIP fighters. He was also identified as a military leader in that video.However, he most recently featured in the TIP's video showing the "conquest" of Jisr al Shughur, a strategic city in the northwestern province of Idlib.
The commander has been featured in several videos since 2014. In one video from 2014, Abu Rida was featured quite frequently speaking to the camera, as well as featured among several TIP fighters. He was also identified as a military leader in that video.However, he most recently featured in the TIP's video showing the "conquest" of Jisr al Shughur, a strategic city in the northwestern province of Idlib.