KABUL: (MEP) Zahran Alloush, the leader of the Jaish al-Islam one of the strongest opponents of the Syrian government was killed in an air strike.
Alloush, 44, was the commander of the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) movement, the predominant opposition faction in the Eastern Ghouta rebel bastion east of Damascus
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP, Hours after Alloush was killed, leading members of Jaish al-Islam elected Abu Himam al-Buwaydani as a replacement.
The Reuters news agency reported Alloush was killed along with five other senior leaders.
The fact that the airstrikes targeted a meeting of the group’s leadership represents an intelligence coup for the Syrian government and its foreign backer, Russia, which has led the reconnaissance and surveillance efforts since it intervened on behalf of Bashar al-Assad’s regime back in October. “The news has reached us, that is God’s will and we pray that God has mercy on him,” said a source in Jaysh al-Fateh, one of the strongest rebel coalitions in Syria, which includes fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaida affiliate in the country.
A senior member of Jaish al-Islam confirmed Alloush’s death to AFP, saying three planes targeted a “secret meeting” of commanders.
The Syrian government and its media regularly refers to Jaish al-Islam as “terrorists,” and state television did so again in the news alert announcing Alloush’s death, saying that Syria’s army command had conducted the “special operation” that killed Alloush as part of its “national mission.”
A Syrian security source told AFP “dozens” of rebel fighters were killed in the raids, carried out by Syria’s air force with newly-provided Russian missiles.
The jets launched two rounds of strikes on the meeting with four missiles each, the source said. At least 12 Jaish al-Islam members and seven from the Islamist Ahrar al-Sham group were killed.
