Minister of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham found dead in Syria’s Idlib
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, unidentified gunmen assassinated Fayez al-Kheleif, Minister of Higher Education in the Salvation Government, the civilian wing of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), days after news of his abduction.
Local sources told North Press that the Syrian Civil Defense teams found the body of al-Khleif, near the village of al-Tawama in the western countryside of Aleppo.
Al-Kheleif was kidnapped four days ago, and signs of torture were seen on his body.
Al-Kheleif was missed on April 3, after leaving his home in al-Dabbit neighborhood in Idlib, while on his way to work at the headquarters of the Salvation Government, according to the sources.
Al-Kheleif came from the village of al-Rasafah, east of Idlib, and held a Ph.D. in pesticide residues analysis from the Faculty of Agriculture at Cairo University in 2015.
He worked as a lecturer at the Institute of Agricultural Technology at the University of Idlib in 2015 and 2016 before he was appointed as Minister of Agriculture, and then, Minister of Higher Education of the Salvation Government.
Until now, no party has claimed responsibility for the assassination of al-Kheleif, as informed sources confirmed to North Press that the HTS General Security Service started investigating the incident.