Slain militant Hassan Khalid Rahal aka “Abu Adnan,” Click to see full-size image.
On August 11, an elite sniper of al-Qaeda-linked Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, was hunted down by snipers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
The sniper, identified as Hassan Khalid Rahal, was shot and killed by snipers of the SAA in the al-Zawiya Mount in the southern part of Greater Idlib.
Rahal, known by his nom de guerre “Abu Adana,” is from the town of Ma’ar Shimmareen which is currently held by the SAA. The slain militant was reportedly an elite sniper of HTS’ Abu Baker al-Siddiq Brigade.
HTS snipers stepped up their attacks in the last few months. The SAA responded by deploying its own snipers on Greater Idlib frontlines.
Last week, two militants of HTS’ Abu Baker al-Siddiq Brigade were killed by SAA snipers on one of al-Zawiyah Mount frontlines. One of the slain militants was a Maldivian national.
HTS and its allies in the al-Fateh al-Mubeen Operation room violate the ceasefire in Greater Idlib, which was brokered by Russia and Turkey last year, on a daily basis. The SAA and its allies have been responding to these violations via various means. Yet, the militants are not stepping back.
