Syria targets francophone jihadis as Sharaa navigates Western pressure
Government troops encircled a francophone militant camp as authorities negotiate the surrender of its leader amid broader concerns over foreign fighters and regional security.
Syrian government forces launched an operation on Wednesday against francophone jihadis at a camp in the northwestern province of Idlib bordering Turkey, and clashes are reported to be ongoing, according to local media.
The al-Qaeda offshoot that goes by “Furqat al-Ghuraba,” or the “Foreigners' Brigade,” is led by a 50-year-old Franco-Senegalese jihadi who calls himself Omar Omsen. Omsen, whose real name is Omar Diaby, continues to lure recruits from across the francophone world and is wanted by France as an international terrorist.
Officials from Syria’s interim government said the camp in the Harem area of Idlib had been encircled by government troops following reports that a girl had been kidnapped by one of Omsen’s men. Her mother, who is thought to be a Belgian citizen, had appealed for her release.
Security forces are continuing to negotiate for the voluntary surrender of Omsen and for the girl to be handed over. They were not targeting the foreign fighter community, Syrian officials said.
