Top Militant Commander Zahran Alloush Killed in Air Raid near Damascus

Local Editor

Zahran Alloush, head of the Wahhabi terror group "Jaysh al-Islam", operating in the suburbs of Damascus, had been killed in a Syrian air force strike, the military confirmed.

The airstrike targeted the headquarters of "Jaysh al-Islam" [Army of Islam], a coalition of different extremist groups fighting against Syrian government forces.

"The Syrian air force has carried out airstrikes, following intelligence reports and assistance by respected citizens, targeting terrorist groups in the eastern suburb of Damascus. As a result, terrorist Zahran Alloush was killed," the Syrian army said in a statement.

Two militant sources also confirmed to Reuters the airstrike killed Alloush. Later, Syrian state media confirmed the death of the militant chief and several other group members. Some of the initial reports alleged that the attack was carried out by "Russian planes."

The so-called Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that Alloush was killed together with several commanders while they were at a meeting near the Damascus suburb of Otaya.

According to the Lebanon-based AL-Mayadeen TV, 13 strikes were carried out in the area.

"Jaysh al-Islam" is a coalition of Wahhabist and Salafist units mainly headquartered in the Damascus neighborhoods of Eastern Ghouta and Douma, where it controls large territories. The terror group includes thousands of trained militants.

Critics accused "Jaysh al-Islam" of methods comparable to those of "ISIS" militants, as it reportedly resorts to the same inhumane methods used by the terrorist group, including public executions of prisoners.

Alloush had called for the cleansing of different religious groups opposing the doctrine of "Jaysh al-Islam" in various "ISIS"-like propaganda videos posted on YouTube.

The extremist group had called the al-Nusra Front "our brothers," adding that "they fight alongside us."

In a massive attack in February, Jaysh al-Islam insurgents fired 40 rockets at civilian homes in Damascus, leaving dozens of civilians wounded and at least three dead. The attack was a retaliation strike for the Syrian Air Force's strikes in Ghouta.

Several coalitions had been spearheading airstrikes targeting "ISIS" and other terrorist groups engaged in the Syrian crisis. The US-led coalition had been conducting airstrikes for over a year, while Russia launched its campaign in September, after an official request for military assistance from Damascus.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team