Taybat Al-Imam Under SAA Fire-Control; 5 Key Members of Al-Nusra Front Killed in Hama ~ by Leith Fadel

Following the capture of Halfaya, the National Defense Forces (NDF) advanced to the village of Taybat Al-Imam – just west of Mhardeh – killing scores of enemy combatants before declaring the area under loyalist fire-control. Fighting is reported on the outskirts of the village; however, a military source stated that the militants are retreating north.

Jabhat Al-Nusra suffered heavy casualties in west Hama this week, with over 150 militants reported dead by the Syrian Arab Army’s Tiger Forces. Firefights intensified over the last two weeks, when the Tiger Forces announced their arrival in west Hama to lift the siege of Mhardeh and to recapture areas under Jabhat Al-Nusra control. As a result, Jabhat Al-Nusra militants were bombarded daily by the Syrian Air Force, followed by an abundance of artillery shells and gunfire from the NDF and Tiger Forces.

With the substantial loss of fighters on the ground, Jabhat Al-Nusra was forced to retreat from Khattab, Bateesh, and Halfaya – the surviving militants would flee north or surrender to the NDF and Tiger Forces. Among the Jabhat Al-Nusra casualties were some prominent fighters and field commanders that have fought on multiple fronts in the Syrian Conflict. 5 key members of the Al-Qaeda linked organization were reported dead in the last two days – those members were the following:

1. “Abu Ya’ala”
2. “Abu Isma’el”
3. “Abu ‘Ubeida Darwish”
4. “Abu Saddiq”
5. “Abu Ra’ees”

Other casualties reported over the last week:

1. Mohammad Al-Hajji –
2. Abu Al-Khayr Wanal Bassam Al-Hajji (“Abu Al-Walid”)
3. ‘Abdel-Maati Halal
4. Mahmoud Mohammad Al-Thalaji
5. ‘Ahmad Isma’el Al-Saleh
6. Fu’az Mohammad Al-Waheed
7. Mamdouh Khalif Al-Waheed
8. Sheikh Abu Bakr Al-Shari’ah
9. Mohammad ‘Alloush (Al-Nusra Field Commander)
10. Ahmad Qadad Sahaq (Al-Nusra Field Commander)
11. Ahmad Mustafa Jaddou – Jabhat Al-Nusra commander
12. Abu Shama Al-‘Urdani (Jordanian) – Jabhat Al-Nusra commander
13. Abu Raqaya Al-Mahaajar Al-Sa’aoudi (Saudi) – Jabhat Al-Nusra commander
14. Mustafa Aziza
15. Mustafa Al-Hayyani
16. ‘Umar Samaaq
17. Sameh Abu Shaar
18. Rashid Zarba
19. Bassam Badawi
20. Tariq Fatahi
21. Abdel-Rahman Al-Urdani (Jordanian)
22. Abu Qaqaa Al-Urdani (Jordanian)
23. “Abu Jaafar” (pictured in an earlier article)
24. Karamo Al-Jadawa’a
25. ‘Ahmad Khalid Al-Baham
26. ‘Ahmad Mohammad Al-Dablaan
27. Mahmoud ‘Uthman Al-‘Abdullah
28. Jamal Abdel-Karim Salloum
29. Yousif Khalid Al-Hassan
30. Mohammad Suleiman ‘Ali Al-Qabteesh
31. Safwan Al-Agha
32. Tariq Al-Agha (Abu Mustafa)
33. Mohammad Zahreddine Sayadi
34. Hassan Shahada Shabka
35. Khalid Mustafa Wada’a
36. ‘Ali ‘Aleewi ‘Alloush

Jabhat Al-Nusra militant ‘Ali Aleewi ‘Alloush was killed in Morek.

The Al-Nusra Front has not issued a statement on the number of casualties they suffered in this battle; it is still unknown whether or not they will participate in the battle for Kafr Zita and Morek.

2 of the 5 prominent Nusra fighters killed in west Hama.

3 of the other 5 Nusra fighters killed in west Hama.

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/taybat-al-imam-saa-fire-control-5-key-members-al-nusra-front-killed-hama/