Syria:

Al-Nusra Terrorist Group Arrests Dissident Commanders

TEHRAN (defapress)- The Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) has arrested several senior commanders that were ideologically close to Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri, the current leader of al-Qaeda, in Idlib province, dissident-affiliated websites disclosed on Tuesday.

News ID: 67173

Date: 28 November 2017 - 16:45

The websites reported that Al-Nusra has arrested Abu al-Qassem al-Ordoni, the former deputy of Abu Mas'ab al-Zarqawi, Sami al-Aridi, Al-Nusra's former mufti, Abu Hammam al-Souri, a former commander of Al-Nusra and Abu Jalbab al-Ordoni, the senior commander of Al-Nusra after their opposition to the terrorist group's thoughts.

The websites further added that the arrested commanders were ideologically close to al-Zawahiri.

They went on to say that Ahmed Hussein al-Shar’a nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the commander-in-chief of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at, had called on the commanders before their arrest to take part in a reconciliation session, but the commanders were arrested and sent to an unknown location after taking part in the meeting.

Relevant reports said in September that Abdullah Muhammad al-Muhaysini, the commander and Mufti (religious leader) of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at left the terrorist group only hours after leaked audio files indicated widening of rifts among the commanders of the Al-Nusra Front.

Al-Muhaysini together with another mufti of Tahrir al-Sham named Mosleh al-Aliyani in a statement released on social networks declared their separation from the terrorist alliance.

Al-Muhaysini and al-Aliyani mentioned the reason behind their separation as to be recent clashes between Tahrir al-Sham and Ahrar al-Sham in Idlib province and also leakage of the audio files and disrespecting the religious leaders (muftis).