Jihadist fighters in northwestern Syria opposed to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda wing, are claiming that groups affiliated with HTS have taken part in the security operation that led to the killing of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in the countryside of Daraa province, in southern Syria, in mid-October.
A spokesman for IS announced in an audio recording Nov. 30 that Qurayshi was killed in battle recently, without adding more details as to the location or time of death.