Commander of militant group in Syria killed in Turkey: Reports
A commander of a militant group operating against the government in Syria has been killed in a car bomb blast in Turkey blamed on rival groups, media reports say.
Turkish officials on Wednesday confirmed the death of Jamil Ra’adoun, who lead the so-called Suqur al-Ghab brigades, in a car bomb blast in Antakya in the southern province of Hatay.
The state-run Anadolu agency quoted regional governor Ercan Topaca as saying that Ra’adoun died of his wounds in the hospital after a bomb exploded outside his home in Antakya.
“We believe that the incident happened due to a disagreement between opposition groups in Syria,” Topaca said, without elaborating on which militant group may have been behind the killing of Ra’adoun.
Turkey, along with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and some other regional countries, has been supporting militant groups against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since March 2011. Damascus has repeatedly slammed Ankara's backing for the militants. Numerous reports have shown that elements within the Turkish government have facilitated the entry of militants and reinforcements into Syria through the Turkish borders. Various militant groups in Syria have also been engaged in a fierce and deadly infighting among themselves.
Anadolu said Ra’adoun was linked to the so-called Free Syrian Army, which has reportedly enjoyed Turkey's significant support.
The 44-year-old Ra’adoun, who was believed to lead some 2,000 militants in the northwestern Syrian province of Hama, was the target of an assassination attempt in April. He led a series of battles with Syrian forces in Sahl al-Ghab, a large plain bordering Latakia Province of Syria.
Over the past months, an alliance of militants calling itself the Army of Conquest has been battling for the strategic Jureen region in Sahl al-Ghab, northwestern Syria.
On August 18, Syrian government forces managed to wrest back control of four key villages and some other strategic locations near Jureen. Dozens of militants, including members of Suqur al-Ghab, were killed during the operation which was dubbed “The Earthquake” and was assisted by fighters of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.
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