The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) on Friday said it had arrested a Georgian national, Al Bar Shishani, after he was identified in a photograph as a leading "Islamic State" (IS) commander.

Shishani was arrested in the Kyiv region near a private home where he lived, the service said in a statement, without giving the date of the arrest.

Read more: Chechnya: Islamic State's fertile Russian recruiting ground

"A portrait examination has proved that the detained foreigner is indeed a wanted leader of the IS," the SBU said.

Ukrainian officials said Shishani was detained at the end of a joint operation with the US Central Intelligence Agency and the Georgian Interior Ministry.

Shared ethnic heritage

Shishani, whose birth name was Cezar Tokhosashvili, joined IS in 2015. He became deputy to Abu Omar al-Shishahi, known to the Pentagon as the IS "minister of war," who was killed in combat in 2016.

Read more: 'Islamic State' claims responsibility for Chechnya attacks

Both men were born in the mountainous Pankisi region of Georgia, home to most of Georgia's ethnic Chechens, known as Kists. "Shishani" is an Arabic transliteration of "Chechen."

Women of Georgia's Pankisi Valley Learning English These women in Pankisi Valley are taking English lessons, and getting a whole new perspective on life. Many of them fled the Chechen war, while others lost relatives and loved ones in the Syrian war. This school is supported by the Roddy Scott Foundation, named after a British journalist who died in the second Chechen war.

Women of Georgia's Pankisi Valley Sufi small talk Local women gather after a traditional Sufi reception. The Pankisi Valley, which is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) long and 5 kilometers wide, is a Muslim enclave in an otherwise largely Christian Orthodox country. It is home to the ethnic group of Kists, who have Chechen roots.

Women of Georgia's Pankisi Valley A new start As a young girl, Leila Achishvili (center) was abducted and taken to Chechnya by a man. But she was later able to divorce him and return to the Pankisi Valley, where she started a new life. Today, the 53-year-old runs a guesthouse with her daughter Mariam in the town of Jokolo. It's frequented by visitors from Poland, Bulgaria, Belgium and other European countries.

Women of Georgia's Pankisi Valley Preparing Georgian dishes for guests Leila and her daughter prepare khinkali — Georgian dumplings — for their guests. Leila once had two sons, but they became radicalized by the "Islamic State" group and died fighting in Syria. She tries to not dwell on this and instead looks to the future. "These days, I am happy to be independent," she says.

Women of Georgia's Pankisi Valley Dreaming of a different life For Leila's daughter Mariam, this valley has little to offer. "It often gets boring here," she says. "Girls do not go outside at night because they are embarrassed." Life in Pankisi Valley is still largely patriarchal. Mariam says she misses going for walks in the evenings: "I like nights." Her dream is to one day live in the mountains — "maybe in Switzerland."

Women of Georgia's Pankisi Valley When relatives come to visit Things get a bit more fun when Mariam's cousins from Grozny come to visit. Since the 1990s, thousands of people have fled from neighboring Chechnya to the valley. Those who moved here still have close ties to those who stayed behind. But because some extremist fighters also sought safety in the valley, the Russian government has repeatedly threatened to attack the area.

Women of Georgia's Pankisi Valley A little bit of freedom The women in Pankisi Valley are yearning for more freedom. One of Leila's acquaintances, whose husband died in the Syrian war, opened this gym. She needed something to keep herself busy. Not many locals use the gym, but Leila does. This is one of the few public places were women can meet.

Women of Georgia's Pankisi Valley Hoping for a better future Mariam shares a small room inside the guest house with her mother and grandmother. Mariam's mother wants her daughter to have a better future. "I want to support her in everything she does," Leila says. "I will try to help her study abroad, because here in Pankisi Valley there is no future for her." Author: Lisa Hänel



After Abu Omar al-Shishahi's death, Al Bar Shishani was said to have crossed into Turkey and crossed last year into Ukraine on a false passport. From there, he continued to coordinate the activities of Islamic State, the SBU said.

"Currently, the terrorist is under extradition arrest. His involvement in crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine is currently being verified," the SBU said.

rc/sms (Reuters, AP)

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