afrinpost – Exclusive
On September 16th, a powerful explosion rocked a seized house located near the Marateh Roundabout in the heart of the occupied city of Afrin, resulting in the deaths of three individuals, including a leader within the “Islamic Movement of Ahrar al-Sham” militia.
According to our correspondent, the explosion claimed the life of the prominent leader known as “Asaad Baroudi,” also referred to as “Abu Muhammad Ahrar.” He held the position of explosives specialist within the ranks of the “Ahrar al-Sham” militia. Additionally, the explosion resulted in the deaths of two other individuals, namely “Ibrahim Mohammed Marwosh,” hailing from the town of Rityan, and “Mohammed Ali Nahal,” from Qadi Askai in Aleppo province.
Our correspondent further confirmed that the powerful blast exposed the involvement of a leader within the “Ahrar al-Sham” militia group named “Youssef Daadou,” known as “Abu Suleiman al-Hamwi.” He was implicated in the manufacture of explosive devices within the apartment, which had been converted into a storage and preparation center for explosives. Daadou had allegedly executed assassinations and bombings on behalf of the terrorist organization “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS) and was known for liquidating opponents of the organization within the occupied city of Afrin.
Information obtained by afrinpost indicates that the “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” organization exerted pressure on the Military Police, urging them not to conduct an investigation into the matter and to prevent any communication with the wounded. Furthermore, there were attempts to transfer the deceased and the injured to hospitals in Idlib, seemingly to conceal any evidence that could implicate Daadou’s involvement with the “Ahrar al-Sham” militia in the execution of assassinations and bombings within the occupied city of Afrin.
The powerful explosion occurred within a residential apartment on the second floor near the Marateh Roundabout. The property originally belonged to Kurdish citizen “Almaz Nabi Julaka,” but it was seized by “Asaad Baroudi Abu Muhammad” in 2018.
“Abu Muhammad Ahrar,” born in Aleppo in 1980, held a leadership role within the “Ahrar al-Sham” militia. He was responsible for preparing explosives within the residence for use in special operations. A staunch Islamic extremist, he was well-known for his jihadist and radicalized rhetoric. Baroudi had seized dozens of homes and shops on al-Vellat Street in Afrin that belonged to the local population, as reported by the Unity Party.
