US EditionWhat to know about the French militants who clashed with Syrian forces in Idlib
- On Tuesday, Syrian security forces under President Ahmad al-Sharaa launched a large-scale operation in a refugee camp near the Turkish border in Harem, Idlib Province targeting French jihadists.
- The Syrian government said it aimed to capture Omar Omsen to end his influence, protect women and children, and prevent fighting from spreading.
- The raid produced clashes that left several killed or wounded and led to two arrested French jihadists, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the target as al-Ghurabaa, led by Omar Omsen.
- Sources within the French jihadist group said the regime aims to dismantle the organization and extradite leaders, while the French jihadists accused the government of a plan to `eliminate foreign migrants` with the United States and international coalition including France.
- Thousands of foreign fighters entered Syria since 2011, and President Ahmad al-Sharaa's government seeks to eliminate French jihadists, with the group estimated at about 50 members.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Associated Press News
What to know about the French militants who clashed with Syrian forces in Idlib
Clashes have erupted between Syrian government forces and foreign fighters in Idlib, Syria. The conflict involves a camp led by a French militant named Omar Diaby.
MAINTENANCE - The Syrian regime surrounded on Monday the jihadist camp of Omar Omsen in the north-west of the country. The new leader in Damascus, who was himself linked to Al-Qaeda, wants to reassure the Western powers, according to researcher Cédric Labrousse.
Large-Scale Security Operation Targets ‘Al-Ghurabaa’ Brigade in Harem Amid Kidnapping and Extortion Allegations
On the morning of Wednesday, 22 October 2025, a major security operation was launched by the Internal Security Forces in the town of Harem, located in western Idlib province, targeting the so-called “French Camp”—a stronghold of the jihadist group Al-Ghurabaa, led by Omar Omsen, a French national of Senegalese origin. According to field sources who spoke to Ultra Syria, heavy clashes broke out during the operation, involving intense exchanges of…
In Harem, in north-western Syria, clashes between Syrian police and jihadist Omar Diaby, leader of a militia of French fighters and families.
The Internal Security Forces in Idlib Governorate, Syria, issued a statement on Wednesday clarifying the security tensions witnessed at the "French Camp" in the Harem area in the northern countryside...
Clashes between Syrian govt, French fighters in Idlib province
Syrian forces said they had surrounded on Wednesday a camp housing a prominent French jihadist wanted by his government, sparking clashes at the site. The operation in northwest Syria was the Islamist-led government's first such assault on foreign fighters in Idlib since the December 2024 ouster of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad. Since taking power, Syria's new leaders have sought to break from their hardline Islamist past and present a moder…
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