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Abu Omar al-Filistini, a senior security commander of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was reportedly assassinated in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib.
The commander was killed in front of his house in the town of Binnish in the eastern Idlib countryside when an explosive device that was planted under his vehicle, a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, blew up. A woman, possibly the commander’s wife, was also wounded as a result of the bombing.
According to Jihadi sources, al-Filistini, whose real name is Marwan Omar, carried both the Palestinian and Swedish citizenships. He reportedly lived in Sweden for a many years.
— مزمجر الثورة السورية ( إحتياطي) (@mzmgrsyria) October 29, 2021
Al-Filistini introduced himself to the people in Greater Idlib as a young religious scholar and an aid worker. He mainly worked with local youth and the widows or foreign Jihadists.
However, in reality the Palestinian-Swedish terrorist was a security commander of HTS who worked directly under the command of the group’s senior Iraqi leader Abu Maria al-Qahtani.
Al-Qahtani confirmed al-Filistini terrorist past and his close relationship with him on his official Telegram channel. In a post, al-Qahtani mourned al-Filistini and described him as a “hero Mujahid” who fought in Iraq and Syria. The leader also vowed to avenge his death.
No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing that claimed the life of al-Filistini, so far. The assassination of al-Filistini may have been carried out by some of HTS’ foes in Greater Idlib in response to the group’s recent military campaign against foreign Jihadists in the northern Lattakia countryside.
