Russian-language pro-Jihad site FiSyria, which reports on events in Syria, mostly from the perspective of Islamist groups, has published what it claims is a first-hand account of a Russian-speaking fighter who discusses the “martyrs” he has fought alongside.

One of the martyrs is described as having taken part in a suicide attack in August, in which insurgents from the Chechen-led Jaish Al Muhajireen Wal Ansar drove BMPs into a barrier at the Menagh Airbase in Aleppo Province.

Another of those killed, named as Abu Hisham, is described as a Chechen fighter.

The account, if true, offers some insight into foreign fighters in Syria, their motivations and the ideology behind these motivations and the concept of “Istishhad” or martyrdom in this context.

Abu Hisham

I met this brother in the training camp. This brother was with Jazeera (Saudi Arabia) . He taught lessons on the Quran in Muaskar because he knew all of the Book of our Lord. When I was with him, I knew him as a very quiet and humble brother. He was rather thin and tall, and wore glasses. Then he was assigned to a different group, and later I found out that he had become the amir of the assault team. As the brothers said, he was a lion in battle . This brother had a choice to teach the Quran or combat. However, he left these two choices and seeking contentment and mercy of Allah chose an Istishhad (martyrdom) operation .

On the 27th of Ramadan, during the final assault on the Menagh airbase, may Allah have mercy on him, he drove out in a BMP stuffed with explosives and exploded outside the infidels’ buildings, killing about 40 infidels.

Aburahman

Everyone who knew him said that he was very gentle with his brothers. This was in spite of the enormous body that Allah gave him, and which he used to defend the faith. He loved to tell stories about (Mohammad’s) Companions, especially Khalid ibn Walid. Remembering his words, he said: “I’ve read that Khalid ibn Walid had 70 large wounds, I counted 60 large ones on myself, I want to add 10, to be like him.”

He was injured during the first battle of Kafr Hamra, he was shot by mistake from an RPG at his feet. A variety of small and large shrapnel struck his body, hit his head, his ear was torn and he lost his eye.

He was very eager to fight despite his wounds and the shrapnel in his legs. He asked the Amir, whether he would allow him to participate in the (Menagh airbase) operation, saying: “I ​​want to become a martyr in the month of Ramadan.” And by the will of Allah, he was martyred on 27 Ramadan during the assault.

Two weeks before his martyrdom, he married a woman who really wanted to marry this brother. When she was told that he is missing an eye, and that his legs were covered in wounds, she did not pay attention to it, and added, “At least I can keep an eye on him.”

One of the signs that Allah has shown us was when the Mujahideen dragged him into an olive grove to collect it later in the morning. When they came back to the place they were surprised that they could not find the body.Then one of the brothers told us that Abdurahman made a du’a (supplication) to Allah with a request that his body could not be found so that it would not be torn apart by wild animals.

One of the emirs of the assault team that day — Abu Dujana — had a dream about five martyrs, when he had surgery on his arm. He said that he saw these brothers with the Messenger of Allah, their faces were smiling, and they said, ” Say salaam to our brothers.”

Abdurahman said that during the Chechen war, he was 14 years old and when he was on a fortification he was also shot by mistake with a grenade launcher. He smiled as he remembered it.

Abu Rukaiya

This brother was amazing with his desire to be on the front. When he arrived at the jihad he immediately went on an operation. During the operation, wanted to pull out a wounded brother, and a sniper shot him in the head. The bullet went into his jaw and exited through his neck with a piece of flesh. Because of this injury, he was treated for several months and was in a coma for 20 days, hovering between life and death. Allah cured him and he returned immediately to the front, and went to Menagh airbase, where he was named an Amir of one of the assault teams .

In the first of these operations, when he was pulling out the wounded, he was again hit by a sniper, by the will of Allah. The bullet went into his chest, hitting some organs and stopped in the spine, without breaking it .

How do you think he did a couple of weeks later??? Yes, he again went to battle so as to elevate the word of Allah.

He became a martyr, by the will of Allah, in the last battle for the Menagh Airbase, encountering the enemy and not turning back. There were three brothers crawling with RPGs and three shells to take out a tank. Each of them shot, but they didn’t hit. With a machine gun that was on the tank, an infidel fired in turn at all the brothers and the bullet hit him under the heart, and then he fell on his knees and a brother, who was with him, heard him say, ” Allahu Akbar! I’m down! La ilaha illallah!” … and then his soul left his body .

Abu Abdullah Mansour

This lovely brother came to Syria about a year ago. He was in the Sharia Committee, and urged people to tell the truth. His profession was to encourage the believers to fight. He encouraged the brothers, and he was in the lead, in search of martyrdom. He was an imam at the mosque, often crying at morning prayers. He was the one who woke up the brothers at dawn and evening. He had a very loud voice, often singing nasheeds, lifting the mood of the brothers. And we have not seen him angry or sad, he was constantly smiling…

During the last operation at the airport, he led one of the groups after the Amir of the group became a martyr. Urging the brothers to fight, he said: “Today, we’ll get there, or we will be martyrs! Victory or Paradise!”

He was shot in the head during storming the last building that could not be immediately captured. His face was smiling and when found he was holding his index finger up. In anger, the unbelievers burned his body. One of the Mujahideen, who was also with them, Abu Muthanna, saw martyrs in a dream, and among them was Abu Abdullah, they told him, “communicated to our brethren, that we have met our Lord happy! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! “