Confidential sources have revealed to Athr Press that Abu Siraj Shuhail, a prominent leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), responsible for the fuel operations, has managed to escape to an undisclosed location with approximately 4 million US dollars.
Abu Siraj Shuhail held a crucial position overseeing the fuel operations in the areas controlled by HTS in Idleb, where he was involved in the importation and distribution of gasoline and diesel for around two years.
Security forces from the HTS conducted a thorough search for Shuhail at several locations, but he eluded capture due to his possession of a considerable sum of money, equivalent to the payment for diesel shipments intended to enter through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey.
In addition to Shuhail’s escape, a few months ago, another key leader responsible for the economic issue of the HTS fled to Turkey with approximately $15 million.
Back in June, the HTS initiated a mass arrest of around 130 leaders under the orders of its leader, Abu Muhammad al-Julani. In response to this incident, an armed group known as the Revolution Shield Brigades emerged in Idleb, declaring their mission to protect peaceful demonstrations and the people’s freedom. They set a three-day ultimatum for the release of the arrested leaders.
Athr sources assert that this military faction secretly maintains ties with Julani, working in alignment with US intelligence to pursue specific objectives. According to the sources, this faction aims to eliminate leaders affiliated with the HTS, including those from Arab, Turkestan, Chechnya, and other governorates, whom Julani failed to apprehend.
The targeted leaders are known to have opposed a meeting between Julani and US officials. Consequently, the Americans requested Julani to eliminate these dissenting leaders. To achieve this goal, the sources confirm that US intelligence provided the leader of the HTS with lists of names of leaders opposing them to be eliminated.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
