Abu Firas al-Suri
| Radwan Nammous | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
1950 Madaya, Syria |
| Died |
April 3, 2016 (aged 65–66) Idlib Governorate, Syria |
| Nationality | Syrian |
|
Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 Syria (Until 1979)  al-Qaeda (Late 1980s) |
| Service/branch |
 Syrian Army(Until 1979)  al-Nusra Front (2012–2016) |
| Rank | Chief Spokesperson for the al-Nusra Front |
| Battles/wars |
Syria Lebanon |
Radwan Nammous (1950 – April 3, 2016), also known by his nom de guerre Abu Firas al-Suri, was a senior official in the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front, serving as the group's spokesman.[1]
Early life
Suri was born in 1950 in the Syrian town of Madaya, near Damascus. He joined the Syrian military and attained the rank of lieutenant but was discharged due to his Islamist leanings in 1979.[2]
He then joined the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria and was reportedly a military trainer in the Muslim Brotherhood's Fighting Vanguard group during the Islamist uprising in Syria against the Hafez al-Assad regime between 1979 and 1980.[3]
Al Suri later traveled to Afghanistan, where he met Abdullah Azzam, a founding father of modern jihadism, and Osama bin Laden. He then helped bin Laden and Pakistani jihadists establish Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist organization that remains closely linked to al-Qaeda to this day.[3]
After the 9/11 attacks, al Suri helped the families of al-Qaeda members escape Afghanistan. From 2003 to 2013 he was in Yemen, until the dispute between the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant erupted.[3]
Syrian Civil War
Due to the infighting between jihadist groups in Syria, Al Qaeda’s senior leaders dispatched al-Suri to Syria, where he participated in failed mediation efforts between al-Nusra Front and ISIL.
Role within the al-Nusra Front
Al-Suri's role as a senior figure in the al-Nusra Front was not publicly known until March 2014 when he appeared in a Nusra video speaking against ISIL.[4] In the following months. al-Suri took on an increasingly prominent role within al-Nusra. Al-Suri became a spokesman for events such as the group's hostage taking of UN peacekeepers in 2014.[4] In July 2014, an audio recording of a major rally of fighters in Syria was leaked. In it, al-Suri could be heard introducing Abu Mohammad al-Julani, al-Nusra’s emir, who spoke of establishing an Islamic emirate in Syria. In a video released by al-Nusra on 8 August 2014, al-Suri said al-Nusra would declare an emirate in Syria only after consulting with other factions.[4]
Death
On 3 April 2016, Abu Firas al-Suri (at the age of 65),[5] his son and 20 other al-Nusra Front fighters were killed in a US airstrike in Syria's Idlib province.[6][7]
References
- ↑ "Who's who in the Nusra Front?". al-Araby. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ↑ "Syrian Nusra Front's Abu Firas killed in suspected drone strike: rebels". Reuters. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Al Nusrah Front spokesman explains differences with Islamic State in video appearance". The Long War Journal. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Al Qaeda veteran takes on a more prominent role as spokesman in Syria". The Long War Journal. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ VIDEO: Nusra Spokesman Abu Firas al-Suri' Killed in Idlib Massive Airstrike
- ↑ "Nusra Front spokesman killed by air strike in Syria". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
- ↑ "Syria's Qaeda spokesman, 20 jihadists dead in strikes: monitor". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.