As the war wears on and fighters seek alternative sources of income, a Russian jihadist has traded his weapons for wasabi by establishing a small sushi restaurant in war-torn Syria’s rebel-held northwest. Islam Shakhbanov, 37, of Russia’s Muslim-majority Dagestan region, claimed he travelled to Syria in 2015 “to participate in jihad.” However, after years of fighting, the Damascus government has reclaimed control of the majority of the country, and Syria’s main frontlines have largely remained frozen, leaving many foreign fighters out of work. “In the end, I opened this sushi restaurant,” the goateed man told AFP, standing near a banner displaying a fish, with slogans in Arabic, English, and Russian.
The group fought fierce battles against the Russian-backed Syrian government
Shakhbanov, dressed in a warm vest and a dark winter cap, said he fought alongside jihadist groups and the Faylaq al-Sham rebel group until about five years ago. Faylaq al-Sham is a Sunni Islamist organization that has served as Turkey’s proxy in several military campaigns on Syrian territory. It has also supplied pro-Ankara mercenaries to fight on the side of the UN-recognized administration in Libya. The group fought fierce battles against the Russian-backed Syrian government in the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib, and Latakia, and is linked to the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Shakhbanov stated that he had lived in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia and was inspired to establish “Sushi Idlib” after sampling Japanese cuisine while traveling. He bragged that it was the first sushi restaurant in the conservative enclave, Syria’s last major rebel stronghold, where many people rely on humanitarian assistance. Around three million people live in rebel-held Idlib, with roughly half of them uprooted by the 12-year conflict.
The restaurant struggled at first to draw customers in the impoverished enclave where Japanese cuisine is unusual
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, and other rebel groups dominate the enclave, with fighters from Central Asia and the Caucasus among their numbers. Idlib is surrounded to the south by regime forces but borders Turkey to the north, with the coast less than 25 kilometers (16 miles) away in some places. Many of his components, including pickled ginger, soy sauce, prawns, and even crab, are imported from Turkey, according to Shakhbanov. Idlib was one of the places hit by the February 6 earthquake, which destroyed buildings and killed tens of thousands, mostly in Turkey.
Behind the counter, two chefs, both former Russian combatants, chopped fresh salmon and cucumber and spread it on a bed of rice and seaweed before stuffing it into a roll. The restaurant struggled at first to draw customers in the impoverished enclave where Japanese cuisine is unusual, but Shakhbanov bills his seaweed rolls as “affordable.” A California roll costs 60 Turkish lira ($3), which is double the price of a large shawarma sandwich more known to locals. He said he now has about a dozen regulars and hopes to draw more customers by expanding the menu to include fried dishes.
But Shakhbanov, married to a Syrian woman and with two young daughters, said he is ready to leave the sushi behind and taste combat again should divided rebel factions agree on a military strategy. “I opened a restaurant,” he said, “but I did not abandon jihad.”