Syrian Government Forces Attack French Jihadists In Idlib (Videos)

Omar “Osmen” Diaby. Click to see full-size image.

The forces of Syria’s Islamist-led Interim Government launched overnight an operation against a small jihadist group led by infamous French jihadist Omar Diaby in Idlib, causing tensions all over the northern governorate which is known to be a stronghold for foreign jihadists.

Diaby, 48, moved to fight for al-Qaeda in Syria in 2013. He was reportedly behind the recruitment of the vast majority of French-speaking jihadists in Syria and Iraq. In 2016, Diaby, more known by his nom-de-guerre “Omar Omsen,” was recognized by the United States as a specially designated global terrorist.

Firqat al-Ghuraba, which is led by Diaby, is based at a camp located near the town of Harem in the northern Idlib countryside. The group mostly consists of dozens of foreign fighters from Europe with many originating from France and Belgium. It is also believed to have sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda.

On October 21 afternoon, Firqat al-Ghuraba issued a statement revealing that it had received information that the government’s General Security Service (GSS) were preparing to launch an operation in their camp. These claims were confirmed later in the day when GSS forces surrounded the camp, locally known as al-Verdun.

Around the same time, Diaby released an audio message in which he revealed that Firqat al-Ghuraba was integrated by the government into the 82nd Division of the new Syrian military after the fall of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad last December.

This formation reportedly played a key role in the massacres that claimed the lives of some 1,500 Alawite civilians on the Syria coast last March, as well as in the government-led attack on the southeastern governorate of al-Suwayda in which over 1,100 Druze civilians were killed. There is no evidence suggesting that members from Firqat al-Ghuraba were involved in these killings, however.

Clashes broke out at al-Verdun early on October 22, with the GSS shelling the camp with heavy weapons and storming sections of it.

The son of Diaby, who goes by the nom-de-guerre “Jibril al-Mouhajir,” told AFP that “clashes erupted after midnight and are ongoing”.

Mouhajir said the French government had demanded “two French nationals from the group be handed over” to the government.

Later in the day, Idlib’s security chief Ghassan Bakir said in remarks shared by the state-run Alikhbaria TV that the operation against Firqat al-Ghuraba was launched in response to the abduction of a little girl by Diaby.

“In response to complaints from residents of al-Verdun camp in the Idlib countryside regarding the grave violations they have been subjected to, the latest of which was the kidnapping of a girl from her mother by an armed outlaw group led by Omar Diaby, the Internal Security Command has begun taking urgent and decisive measures to protect civilians and ensure their safety,” Bakir said.

“The measures included directing Internal Security Forces to the camp, completely encircling it, establishing checkpoints on its outskirts, and deploying teams to secure entrances and exits,” the GSS commander continued.

“The Internal Security Command sought to negotiate with the leader to voluntarily surrender to the relevant authorities, but he refused. He barricaded himself inside the camp, preventing civilians from leaving, and began firing, provoking security personnel, and terrorizing residents,” he added.

Bakir went on to claim that Diaby was “using civilians as human shields,” saying that he “bears full legal and moral responsibility for any threat to their safety.”

Earlier, Syria TV reported, citing a Syrian security official, that the operation at al-Verdun “aims to dismantle Firqat al-Ghuraba and arrest Omsen.”

The operation led to tensions among foreign jihadists in Idlib, who were all integrated into the new Syrian military, reportedly with the approval of the U.S. A group of Jihadists, mainly Uyghur and Uzbak, released a video on October 22 vowing to fight alongside Diaby and his group.

It’s worth noting that Diaby always had a tense relation with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group which overthrew the Assad regime then installed the current government and dissolved itself. The group’s founder and leader Ahmad al-Sharaa is now Syria’s interim President.

In September of 2020, Diaby was arrested by HTS, only to be released 17 months later. At the time, his arrest was seen as an attempt to appease France.

France was among the first countries that Sharaa visited after being appointed interim president. While there, he reportedly discussed the fate of French jihadists in Syria with President Emmanuel Macron.

The operation against Diaby could kill the trust between the government and all foreign jihadists in Syria. Rumors of a secret plan approved by Sharaa to target them group by group are already spreading on social networks. These jihadists will likely attempt to defend their presence in the country at all costs. Many radical Syrians will likely take their side.

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