An American-trained sniper has been promoted to a top position in the Islamic State war machine.
Gulmurod Khalimov, a 41-year-old colonel who underwent US special arms training while heading the Tajikistan special police force, was tapped to be ISIS’s minister of war, according to a new report.
The US State Department reportedly has put a $3 million bounty on Khalimov, who has become one of the world’s most wanted men, news.com.au reported.
Khalimov has replaced the infamous red-bearded Tarhan Batirashvili, better known as “Omar the Chechen,” who rose through the ranks of ISIS before he was killed in a US airstrike in July.
“The Tajik has been appointed as the successor to the dead terrorist Tarhan Batirashvili who (was) also known as Abu Omar al-Shishani (Omar the Chechen),” according to the Iraqi News, citing an unnamed Iraqi security source.
“The Tajik Golmurud Khalimov was elected as the first military commander in ISIS. The organization did not announce it officially because it fears that once mentioned, there might be a series of airstrikes against them,” Iraqi News said.
Khalimov, a father of eight, became radicalized fairly recently.
He joined the Islamic State in 2015 after disappearing while serving as chief of Tajikistan’s special police force last April.
A month later, he resurfaced in an ISIS video in which he pledged to carry out jihadist attacks against Tajikistan, Russia and the US.
During his 10-minute rant, Khalimov said he participated in five counter-terrorism training courses in the US and Tajikistan from 2003 to 2014.
The State Department’s Diplomatic Security/Anti-Terrorism Assistance program organized the courses, which were also taught by Academi — the private American military company formerly known as Blackwater.
In the video, Khalimov also bragged that he received military training in Russia while Tajikistan’s police chief.
His second wife, an ex-press secretary for Tajikistan’s customs service, reportedly has stayed by his side and is also wanted by the authorities.
Interpol has issued a Red Notice for his arrest and extradition to Tajikistan, where he is being sought for treason.
He’s not the first terrorist with a photo that’s made us gag: