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On November 3, al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) chief recruiter was assassinated in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.
According to several Syrian opposition activists, the commander, Tamir Mohamad al-Hussein, was killed by unidentified assailants inside his house in Idlib city. The assailants also stole some of the commander’s personal belongings.
The commander, also known by his nom de guerre “Abu Ahmad al-Shami,” was reportedly the director of recruitment operations in HTS.
عاجل: مقتل القيادي في تنظيم “هيئة تحرير الشام” مسؤول التنسيب المدعو “تامر محمد الحسين أبو أحمد الشامي”، حيث وجدت جثته في منزله في #إدلب مقتولاً، ومأخوذة أغراضه الشخصية وسلاحه pic.twitter.com/Y1yNxC5Lus
— غياث فرزات (@farzat1711) November 3, 2021
Al-Shami is the second commander of HTS to be killed in Greater Idlib in less than a week. On October 28, Abu Omar al-Filistini, a senior Palestinian-Swedish intelligence commander of the terrorist group was killed by an explosive device in the eastern part of the region.
HTS’ internal foes in Greater Idlib were likely behind both assassinations. The terrorist group made many enemies while solidifying its grip on the region over the last few years.
Just before the assassination of al-Flistini, HTS launched a military campaign against foreign Jihadists in western Idlib and northern Lattakia.
HTS may respond to the recent assassination by cracking down harder on foreign Jihadist in Greater Idlib. This could backfire as the group’s popularity among radicals in the region is already declining.
