Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam

Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam (Arabic: محمد يوسف عثمان عبد السلام) (2014–1956) was the founder of Jund al-Aqsa, a Salafist jihadist group active in the Syrian Civil War. He is also commonly referred to by his nom de guerre Abu Abdulaziz al-Qatari (Arabic: أبو عبد العزيز القطري). He was a Jordanian citizen of Palestinian origin who lived in Qatar.

He was a longtime jihadist and veteran of al-Qaeda. He was allegedly affiliated with a number of militant organizations, including the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda in Iraq, and ISIS.

Personal life Al-Qatari was born in the Fadhil district of Baghdad in 1956. His family was believed to be of Palestinian descent. He reportedly held a Jordanian passport and was known to use fraudulent identification and alternative names to avoid detection.

He is believed to have had four children. His two sons are named Ashraf Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam and Abd al-Malik Muhammad Yusuf Uthman Abd al Salam. From Afghanistan, al-Qatari traveled to Chechnya where he fought against Russian forces. Amid the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Abu Abdulaziz reportedly escaped from prison and assisted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in forming the predecessor to ISIS, al-Qaeda in Iraq. This group carried out violent acts targeting diplomats, foreign troops, entertainment centers, and Iraqi Shi'ites after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

It is reported that al-Qatari entered Syria months after the start of the Syrian Civil War with one of his sons, Abu Turab, who was later killed in Syria.

Al-Qatari would later split from the al-Nusra Front to establish Jund al-Aqsa. While Jund al-Aqsa continued to fight alongside the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham against Western-backed groups in Syria, divisions emerged between Jund al-Aqsa and its partners over fighting ISIS. Al-Qatari and Jund al-Aqsa were known for reconciliatory efforts among jihadist groups, and purportedly opposed fighting ISIS.

Abu Abdulaziz al Qatari's name was eliminated from the latest terrorist list published by the UAE in September 2023, along with the names of 58 other individuals and 12 organizations.

Death Rumors surfaced of al-Qatari's death in early 2014. Later 2014 reports claimed that al-Qatari's body was found in the Idlib countryside. According to reports, al-Qatari was killed during clashes with the Syrian Martyrs' Brigade.