Syria Confirms Army, Local Fighters Killed ISIS Leader in October

Tariq al-Sadd neighborhood in Daraa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tariq al-Sadd neighborhood in Daraa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Syria Confirms Army, Local Fighters Killed ISIS Leader in October

Tariq al-Sadd neighborhood in Daraa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tariq al-Sadd neighborhood in Daraa (Asharq Al-Awsat)

ISIS Leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi was killed during the security operation carried out by the Syrian Army in cooperation with local fighters from Daraa in October, a security source told Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

On Wednesday, ISIS announced the death of al-Hashemi al-Qurashi in battles without specifying the date or location, but the US said he died mid-October in southern Syria.

Reuters reported that it was the first time no US military troops were involved in the operation, and it was also the first time that an ISIS leader was killed in southern Syria rather than the north, where a group of factions, some of which are supported by the US, are located.

A former opposition fighter, activists from Daraa, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed to Agence France Presse (AFP) that local fighters launched the only security operation that targeted extremist organizations in mid-October with the support of government forces in Jasim north of Daraa.

The security source told SANA that “Abu al-Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi,” is Abd al-Rahman al-Iraqi, also referred to as “Saif Baghdad.” He is the so-called “ISIS Emir” in the southern region and was killed along with his group after targeting his headquarters in Jasim on Oct. 15.

Qurashi, an Iraqi national, led the organization’s operations, supervised its extension to Jordanian, Iraqi, and Syrian lands, and has also been primarily responsible for the assassinations in Daraa, according to the source.

Since 2018, the Syrian government forces have controlled Daraa, where there are opposition fighters who concluded settlement agreements with Damascus and kept their weapons.

A local fighter who participated in the security operation confirmed to AFP that Qurashi was killed during the clashes, while SOHR reported that he blew himself up.

The fighter recounted that the location of ISIS terrorists was identified after exchanging intel with the regime, explaining that the available information indicated there were ISIS security cells, an operation center in southern Syria, and a Daraa commander, not the organization’s leader.



Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.