Adham al-Akrad, a former Free Syrian Army (FSA) commander in the southern Syrian governorate of Daraa, survived an assassination attempt on September 12.
Adham al-Akrad’s car. Click to see full-size image
Local sources said that an improvised-explosive device (IED), which had been planted by unknown operatives under al-Akrad’s car, exploded in the early hours of the morning. The former commander was not injured in the explosion, which severally damaged the car.
Al-Akrad was the founder and leader of the so-called Engineering and Rocket Regiment, which was one of the biggest armed groups in southern Syria. Under his command, the regiment participated in all the battles against government forces in Daraa in 2017 and 2018.
Adham al-Akrad. Click to see full-size image
Few weeks into the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) 2018 southern Syria campaign, al-Akrad surrendered and opted to join the reconciliation process along with most of his fighters.
Opposition activists claim that al-Akrad’s assassination attempt was orchestrated by the Syrian intelligence. However, this is unlikely because this may undermine the de-escalation process across Syria. The former commander was a known foe of both ISIS and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which makes both groups suspects.
