On September 7, Ali Mohamad al-Abed, a field commander of Shaba Al-Sunnah Forces – a Free Syrian Army (FSA) group in Daraa – was assassinated, according to Syrian opposition sources.
Al-Abed was killed by unknown gunmen near al-Musayfirah town in the eastern Daraa countryside.
Click to see the full-size image
On August 31, Shaba Al-Sunnah Forces was accused by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova of possessing several missiles fitted with chemical agents. Moreover, Zakharova announced that Shaba Al-Sunnah Forces were preparing to use these chemical weapons.
So far Shaba Al-Sunnah Forces has not blamed any side for the assassination. Syrian opposition activists claimed that the Russian intelligence might be behind the assassination. However, others believe that the assassination was carried out by the ISIS-affiliated Khalid ibn al-Walid Army.
In a related development, on September 6, Ahmad Zakaria al-Harriri, a leader of another FSA group – al-Rimah al-Awali, was also assassinated in Daraa. Unknown gunmen opened fire on al-Harriri’s car on the Abtaa-al-Jua’ailiah road, according to Syrian opposition sources.
Many FSA commanders have been assassinated in Darra governorate since the de-escalation agreement become active in the area. Many Syrian opposition activists believe that the US-led Military Operation Center (MOC) in Jordan could be behind the assassinations. In this caes, its goal is to keep the FSA in-line wih the US-led coalition’s plans in Daraa.
