Syrian rebel leader Zahran Alloush was killed in an airstrike claimed on Friday by the Syrian government, dealing blows to both the nearly five-year uprising and a fragile peace process.
Alloush, 44, was the commander of the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) movement, the predominant opposition faction in the Eastern Ghouta rebel bastion east of Damascus.
Hours after Alloush was killed, leading members of Jaish al-Islam elected Abu Himam al-Buwaydani as a replacement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told reporters.
Buwaydani is a 40-year-old businessman and fighter from Douma who hails from a family with strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Alloush and five other commanders were killed “in an airstrike that targeted one of their meetings in Eastern Ghouta” on Friday, the observatory said, adding that it was unclear whether the government or Russia had been behind the raid.
A senior member of Jaish al-Islam confirmed Alloush’s death to reporters, saying that three planes targeted a “secret meeting” of commanders.
The Syrian government and its media regularly refers to Jaish al-Islam as “terrorists,” and state television did so again in the news alert announcing Alloush’s death, saying that Syria’s army command had conducted the “special operation” that killed Alloush as part of its “national mission.”
A Syrian security source told reporters that “dozens” of rebel fighters were killed in the raids, carried out by Syria’s air force with newly provided Russian missiles.
The jets launched two rounds of strikes on the meeting with four missiles each, the source said. At least 12 Jaish al-Islam members and seven from the Islamist Ahrar al-Sham group were killed.
Backed by Riyadh, Jaish al-Islam recently took part in landmark opposition talks in Saudi Arabia.
It was known to have extremist views and to have supported the establishment of an Islamic state before recently moving toward a more moderate position.
Zahran Alloush was born in 1971 in Douma, one of the largest towns in Eastern Ghouta. His father was a prominent Salafist preacher who now lives in Riyadh.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Alloush pursued religious studies in both Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Alloush was arrested in 2009 and was released in June 2011 in a general amnesty, just three months after the nation’s uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad erupted.
He took up arms and in 2013 united a number of rebel groups under the banner of Jaish al-Islam.
The group has generated severe criticism by human rights groups for alleged rights abuses.
In July, it drew condemnation for filming the execution of 18 alleged members of the Islamic State group.
Last month, Jaish al-Islam used dozens of captives in metal cages as “human shields” in an attempt to “prevent regime bombardment” of Eastern Ghouta, according to the observatory.
Analysts said theyexpect Alloush’s death to have profound ripple effects on Syria’s fragmented rebel movement as well as budding peace talks.
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