Syria airstrikes take out al-Qaeda-linked group's 'spokesman' al-Suri
Syria airstrikes take out al-Qaeda-linked group's 'spokesman' al-Suri
A spokesman for Syria's al-Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front was killed along with 22 other jihadis in air raids in northern Syria.
2 min read
Abu Firas al-Suri had previously fought in Afghanistan [twitter]
The spokesman for Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front, his son and 20 other jihadists were killed in air raids on Sunday in the northeast of the country, a monitor said.
Abu Firas al-Suri was meeting with other leading Islamist fighters in a Nusra stronghold in Kafar Jales when the raids struck, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
"Abu Firas al-Suri, his son and at least 20 jihadis of Al-Nusra and Jund al-Aqsa and jihadists from Uzbekistan were killed in strikes on positions in Idlib province," its chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
It was not immediately clear if the raids were carried out by Syrian regime warplanes or their Russian allies.
Two other targets belonging to Al-Nusra and allied jihadi group Jund al-Aqsa in the north of Idlib province were also attacked, Abdel Rahman said, leaving many seriously wounded.
Syrian Suri
Suri, real name Radwan Nammous, fought against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan where he met Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his mentor Abdullah Azzam before returning to Syria in 2011, according to supporters on Twitter.
A temporary ceasefire between government forces and rebels has largely held since February 27, but it does not cover Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group.
The break has, in fact, allowed Russia and the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS in Syria to concentrate their fight against the jihadis.
On Wednesday, a drone strike near IS's de facto Syrian capital Raqqa killed Tunisian commander Abu al-Haija, according to the Observatory, the latest in a series of blows to the jihadis in recent weeks.
Fifteen IS commanders accused of revealing his position have since been executed by the jihadis, and the fate of another 20 men accused of collaborating with the US-led coalition remains unknown.
"This is the highest number of executions of security officials by IS," said Abdel Rahman, whose Britain-based group has a wide network of contacts across the country.
Abu Firas al-Suri was meeting with other leading Islamist fighters in a Nusra stronghold in Kafar Jales when the raids struck, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
"Abu Firas al-Suri, his son and at least 20 jihadis of Al-Nusra and Jund al-Aqsa and jihadists from Uzbekistan were killed in strikes on positions in Idlib province," its chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
It was not immediately clear if the raids were carried out by Syrian regime warplanes or their Russian allies.
Two other targets belonging to Al-Nusra and allied jihadi group Jund al-Aqsa in the north of Idlib province were also attacked, Abdel Rahman said, leaving many seriously wounded.
 |
A temporary ceasefire between government forces and rebels has largely held since February 27, but it does not cover Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group |  |
Suri, real name Radwan Nammous, fought against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan where he met Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his mentor Abdullah Azzam before returning to Syria in 2011, according to supporters on Twitter.
A temporary ceasefire between government forces and rebels has largely held since February 27, but it does not cover Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group.
The break has, in fact, allowed Russia and the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS in Syria to concentrate their fight against the jihadis.
On Wednesday, a drone strike near IS's de facto Syrian capital Raqqa killed Tunisian commander Abu al-Haija, according to the Observatory, the latest in a series of blows to the jihadis in recent weeks.
Fifteen IS commanders accused of revealing his position have since been executed by the jihadis, and the fate of another 20 men accused of collaborating with the US-led coalition remains unknown.
"This is the highest number of executions of security officials by IS," said Abdel Rahman, whose Britain-based group has a wide network of contacts across the country.
More In News
