Abu Maria al-Qahtani

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Abu Maria al-Qahtani
أبو ماريا القحطاني
Personal details
Born
Maysar Ali Musa Abdullah al-Juburi

(1976-06-01)1 June 1976
Mosul District, Nineveh Governorate, Iraq
Died4 April 2024(2024-04-04) (aged 47)
Sarmada, Idlib Governorate, Syria
Manner of deathAssassination by explosion
Alma materUniversity of Mosul
Military career
Allegiance Iraq (?-2003)

Iraq Iraq (2004)

Al-Qaeda (2004–2016)

Tahrir al-Sham (2017–2023)
Years of serviceUnknown–2023
RankAl-Nusra Front (until 2014) and Tahrir al-Sham commander
Battles/warsIraq

Syria

Lebanon

Maysar Ali Musa Abdullah al-Juburi (Arabic: ميسر علي موسى عبد الله الجبوري; 1 June 1976 – 4 April 2024), also known as Abu Mariya al-Qahtani (Arabic: أبو ماريا القحطاني), was an Iraqi Islamic militant fighting in the Syrian Civil War. He was a commander and Shura Council member in Jabhat al-Nusra.

Biography[edit]

Maysar Ali Musa Abdullah al-Juburi was born on 1 June 1976 in Al-Shura in the Mosul District of Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. Prior to the 2003 Iraq war, he was a student at the University of Mosul[2] and a member of Fedayeen Saddam.[1] After the fall of the Ba'athist government, he joined the Iraqi Police in Mosul but later left and was eventually arrested. While in Al-Qaeda in Iraq, he served as the head of the religious police.[citation needed]

Move to Syria[edit]

Al-Qahtani was sent to Syria with Abu Mohammad al-Julani in 2011 by ISI leadership and served on the Shura council of Jabhat Al-Nusra. While being a subordinate of ISI as it was the parent organization of Jabhat Al-Nusra he was a known vocal critic of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and made multiple attempts for the Al-Nusra Front to separate from ISI which caused a rift among members within Al-Nusra.[3][4] While also advocating for a separation from ISI.[5] While also advocating for a separation from not just ISI but Al-Qaeda as a whole he expressed dissatisfaction with fellow leadership in the Al-Nusra Front including Abu Mohammad al-Julani, it is also alleged he considered forming his own group.[3] He is also known to be a supporter of Turkish operations in Syria even though Tahrir al-Sham's official stance is against the intervention and he allegedly assassinated rival leaders in Tahrir al-Sham in an effort to support the Turkish operation.[6] Abu Maria Al-Qahtani has also been involved in infighting between factions[2] as well as internal disputes in Al-Nusra itself, which caused him to later be dismissed from his position as general Sharia official in 2014 however he was still very influential and close to the leadership of Tahrir al-Sham.[7]

In 2016, he was allegedly involved in the formation of Ahrar al-Sharqiya, which is a group composed of individuals exiled from the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, many of which were formerly fighters from Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra, the group took part in the Turkish military operation in Afrin.[8] His involvement and affiliation with Ahrar al-Sharqiya is unknown and has been largely doubted by many observers and analysts. However, a commander in Ahrar al-Sharqiya, Abu Ishaq al-Ahwazi, praised Qahtani in a 2016 interview.[9][10]

Al-Qahtani was jailed in August 2023 for alleged misuse of social media. He was released in March 2024.[11]

Death[edit]

Al-Qahtani was killed in a suicide bombing in Sarmada on 4 April 2024, which HTS blamed on the Islamic State.[12][13][14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "April 2014 Briefs - Jamestown". Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Haniyeh, Hassan Abu (15 December 2014). "Who's who in the Nusra Front?". Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Abu Maria: The Nusra leader behind the split with IS in Syria?". Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Al-Qaeda in Syria Condemns Al-Qaeda in Yemen's Softness on the Islamic State". 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  5. ^ Dettmer, Jamie (4 May 2015). "Resurgent Syrian Rebels Aim for Assad". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2018 – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  6. ^ "Abu-Maria Al-Qahtani… Turkey's compass to Adlib - ANHA". en.hawarnews.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  7. ^ bfarhat (23 July 2015). "Internal divisions lead to 'hemorrhaging' of Jabhat al-Nusra leaders". Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Syrie: Ahrar al-Sharqiya, ces anciens d'al-Nosra devenus supplétifs de la Turquie". 3 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Eastern Syria fighters accused of brutality after videos emerge - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". 12 November 2019. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  10. ^ "US–Backed SDF Commander Killed in Eastern Deir Ezzur as Tensions Heighten". Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Protesters march in Syria against al-Qaida-linked group as a prominent militant is released". AP News. 8 March 2024. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Top Iraqi jihadist killed in suicide bombing in northwest Syria". Reuters. 5 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Jihadist leader killed in suicide bombing near Syrian-Turkish border". BIA News. 5 April 2024.
  14. ^ "TOP IRAQI JIHADIST KILLED IN SUICIDE BOMBING IN NORTHWEST SYRIA". Government of Lebanon. National News Agency - Lebanese Republic. 5 April 2024.
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