Guardians of Religion’s leader killed in Idlib, Syria in targeted missile strike

IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Bilal al-Yemeni, a leader in the Guardians of Religion Organization, was killed by three guided missiles launched from a drone believed to belong to the Global Coalition which targeted his car on Sunday.

A North Press correspondent in Idlib reported that a drone targeted a Santa Fe car which was carrying al-Yemeni and his companion, killing al-Yemeni, while his companion was taken to the hospital due to his critical injury. The operation took place near the 30th Street west of Idlib, at 5:45 p.m.

Local media outlets and pages reported that the drone belonged to the Global Coalition, though the Coalition has not yet claimed responsibility for the targeting.

The Global Coalition had claimed responsibility for airstrikes which targeted a meeting including leaders of the Guardians of Religion, an armed insurgent group affiliated with al-Qaeda, west of Aleppo, in June last year.

The airspace of Idlib has witnessed a heavy flight of drones since Sunday morning until now.

The Guardians of Religion Organization is active in Idlib and it is fighting alongside Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls the greater part of Idlib.

The Guardians of Religion was founded in February 2018. It is linked to al-Qaeda and includes about 1,800 militants, including non-Syrian nationalities, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.