Senior leader in 'Tahrir al-Sham' killed in northeastern Syria

The prominent Iraqi leader in "Tahrir al-Sham," Abu Maria al-Qahtani, was killed in a suicide bombing in an area under the faction's control in northwestern Syria, according to his faction and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"Abu Maria al-Qahtani" was announced dead by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) in a statement on its affiliated media institution "Amjad Media Foundation," stating, "Sheikh +Abu Maria al-Qahtani+ was martyred in a treacherous attack using an explosive belt carried out by a member affiliated with the Islamic State organization."

According to a statement by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain and relying on a wide network of sources in Syria, "Jihadist +Abu Maria al-Qahtani+ was killed, and two of his companions were seriously injured as a result of a suicide bombing."

The Observatory indicated that the real name of al-Qahtani is Maysar Ali Abdullah al-Juburi, without providing further details about the identity of the suicide bomber.

No party immediately claimed responsibility for al-Qahtani's killing.

AFP