Abu Maria al-Qahtani explained

Abu Maria al-Qahtani
Birth Name:Maysar Ali Musa Abdullah al-Juburi
Birth Date:1 June 1976
Birth Place:Mosul District, Nineveh Governorate, Iraq
Death Place:Sarmada, Idlib Governorate, Syria
Death Cause:Assassination by suicide bombing
Nationality:Iraqi
Alma Mater:University of Mosul
Module:
Embed:yes
Allegiance: Iraq (?–2003)

Iraq (2004)

Al-Qaeda (2004–2017)

Tahrir al-Sham (2017–2023)

Serviceyears:2004–2023
Rank:Al-Nusra Front and Tahrir al-Sham commander
Battles:Iraq

Syria

Lebanon

Native Name Lang:ar

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

Biography

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 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. Following his release from prison in 2004, he joined the Al-Qaeda in Iraq organisation. While in Al-Qaeda in Iraq, he served as the head of the religious police.[4]

Move to Syria

Al-Qahtani was sent to Syria with Abu Mohammad al-Julani in 2011 by ISI leadership on the orders of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and served on the Shura council of the newly formed Jabhat Al-Nusra organization which was the Syrian branch of the Islamic State of Iraq. 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] [5] While also advocating for a separation from ISI.[6] 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 was also known to be a supporter of Turkish operations in Syria even though the official stance of Tahrir al-Sham is against the intervention and he allegedly assassinated rival leaders in Tahrir al-Sham in an effort to support the Turkish operation.[7]

Al-Qahtani was 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.[8]

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.[9] His involvement and affiliation with Ahrar al-Sharqiya is unknown and has been doubted by many observers and analysts. However, a commander in Ahrar al-Sharqiya, Abu Ishaq al-Ahwazi, praised Qahtani in a 2016 interview.[10] [11]

Al-Qahtani was jailed in August 2023 for alleged misuse of social media. He was released in March 2024.[12]

Death

Al-Qahtani was killed in a suicide bombing in Sarmada on 4 April 2024, aged 47, which Tahrir al-Sham blamed on Islamic State.[13] [14] [15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: April 2014 Briefs – Jamestown. 26 January 2018. 26 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210226084841/https://jamestown.org/brief/april-2014-briefs/. live.
  2. Web site: Who's who in the Nusra Front?. Hassan Abu. Haniyeh. 15 December 2014. 26 January 2018. 20 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200220222124/https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/politics/2014/12/15/whos-who-in-the-nusra-front. live.
  3. Web site: Abu Maria: The Nusra leader behind the split with IS in Syria?. 26 January 2018. 26 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180126125807/http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/changes-jabhat-al-nusra-indicate-changes-entire-battlefield-1875666927. live.
  4. Web site: 28 August 2023 . Abu Maria al-Qahtani: Deposed leader of Tahrir al-Sham . 10 April 2024 . Center For Middle Eastern Studies .
  5. Web site: Al-Qaeda in Syria Condemns Al-Qaeda in Yemen's Softness on the Islamic State. 20 October 2014. 26 January 2018. 16 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190516051915/https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/al-qaeda-syria-yemen-dispute-islamic-state/#more-3834. live.
  6. News: Resurgent Syrian Rebels Aim for Assad. Jamie. Dettmer. The Daily Beast. 4 May 2015 . 26 January 2018 . 8 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191208061537/https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/04/syria-s-rebels-on-winning-streak-in-alliance-with-al-qaeda. live.
  7. Web site: Abu-Maria Al-Qahtani… Turkey's compass to Adlib – ANHA. en.hawarnews.com. 26 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180210082503/http://en.hawarnews.com/abu-maria-al-qahtani-turkeys-compass-to-adlib/. 10 February 2018. dead.
  8. Web site: Internal divisions lead to 'hemorrhaging' of Jabhat al-Nusra leaders. bfarhat. 23 July 2015. 26 January 2018. 26 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180126184944/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2015/07/syria-jabhat-al-nusra-dismissal-leaders-secrets.html. live.
  9. Web site: Syrie: Ahrar al-Sharqiya, ces anciens d'al-Nosra devenus supplétifs de la Turquie. 3 May 2018. 27 June 2018. 3 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190203114534/http://www.francesoir.fr/en-coop-matteo-puxton/syrie-ahrar-al-sharqiya-ces-anciens-dal-nosra-qui-combattent-avec-larmee?platform=hootsuite. live.
  10. Web site: Eastern Syria fighters accused of brutality after videos emerge – Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East. 12 November 2019. 14 November 2019. 14 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191114163637/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/11/syria-ahrar-al-sharqiya-deir-ez-zor-regime-tribes.html. live.
  11. Web site: US–Backed SDF Commander Killed in Eastern Deir Ezzur as Tensions Heighten . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190204181949/http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13971027000255 . 4 February 2019 . 14 November 2019.
  12. News: Protesters march in Syria against al-Qaida-linked group as a prominent militant is released . AP News . 8 March 2024 . en . 8 March 2024 . 8 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240308170321/https://apnews.com/article/syria-idlib-algolani-maysara-aljubour-idlib-608bc3a12050a6427bcfa3ef6771be49 . live .
  13. Web site: Top Iraqi jihadist killed in suicide bombing in northwest Syria. Reuters. 5 April 2024.
  14. Web site: Jihadist leader killed in suicide bombing near Syrian-Turkish border . BIA News . 5 April 2024 . 5 April 2024 . 5 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172625/https://bianet.org/haber/jihadist-leader-killed-in-suicide-bombing-near-syrian-turkish-border-293939 . live .
  15. News: TOP IRAQI JIHADIST KILLED IN SUICIDE BOMBING IN NORTHWEST SYRIA . National News Agency – Lebanese Republic . Government of Lebanon . 5 April 2024 . 5 April 2024 . 5 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240405173023/https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/regional/685420/top-iraqi-jihadist-killed-in-suicide-bombing-in-no . live .

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