Thread by @Charles_Lister

Unless it's the case of 2 men with the same name, the name Samer Souad is/was an infamous smuggler who became particularly wealthy from fuel smuggling & black market trading in #Idlib.

Initially linked to Jamal Maarouf, some claimed he was linked to #HTS in recent years.

https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/1319357909441052676

In addition to Samer Souad, locals also claim influential #HTS commander Abdulqader Tahhan (aka Abu Bilal Qadas) was at the targeted location outside #Salqin.

Qadas was given responsibility for Jisr al-Shughour security, following #HTS's recent crackdown on #AlQaeda loyalists.

Here's an image of the late-night meeting held in Jakara outside #Salqin -- reportedly convening #HTS security officials with other local notables.

Casualties likely to be more than the initially cited "2."

Update: Additional casualties (killed & wounded) confirmed by sources on the ground indicate this was a significant meeting of #Idlib-based jihadist & otherwise powerful figures:

- Abu al-Abd al-Ashida
- Amer Souad
- Ibrahim Souad
- Hamoud Sahara
- Abu Talha al-Hudayda

Abu al-Abd al-Ashida (pictured) defected from #HTS & was the leader of Tansiqiyya Jihad.

The Souads were very wealthy brothers, controlling much of #Idlib's black market trading.

Sheikh Hamoud Sahara & Abu Talha al-Hudayda also defected from #HTS, forming Kataib al-Fateh.

As casualty IDs come in from tonight's U.S. drone strike outside #Salqin (assuming they're accurate) the strike looks to have taken out an array of #HTS rivals & troublesome figures -- defectors, #AlQaeda-aligned critics & corrupt businessmen competing w. #HTS's income potential.

One source has told me Tansiqiyya Jihad leader Abu al-Abd al-Ashida is severely wounded after tonight's U.S. drone strike outside #Salqin -- not yet dead.

Update: Another source tells me a prominent leader in Huras al-Din was killed in tonight's U.S. drone strike -- but his body was swiftly removed from the scene.

Not clear who it was, yet.

Following tonight's U.S. strike in #Idlib, here's some confirmed (all non-#HTS) figures hit:

- Samer Souad
- Amer Souad
- Ibrahim Souad
- Abu Bilal Qadas
- Hamoud Sahara
- Abu Talha al-Hudayda
- Abu Hafs al-Urduni
- Un-IDd 'Huras al-Din'

Now unconfirmed:

- Abu al-Abd al-Ashida

Update - it seems clear now that tonight's U.S. strike in #Idlib hit a night-time meeting bringing together jihadist factions formed by #HTS defectors -- primarily Kataib al-Fateh, but also Huras al-Din, Tansiqiyya Jihad.

Plus the hosts, #Idlib's Souad black market kingpins.

Back in Oct '17, I wrote about #Turkey's emerging #Idlib strategy, part of which was a campaign of assassinations targeting outspoken hardliners within #HTS who opposed its potential pragmatism & cooperation with #Ankara.

That's clearly evolved since.

warontherocks.com/2017/10/turkey…

I've heard for 2yrs from trusted sources that elements within #HTS were leaking intel on internal critics & #AlQaeda loyalists to #Turkey's MIT intel service. I believe it.

The next level of the claims is controversial -- that those leaks are making their way to CIA & -> drones.

There's no doubt that U.S. intel focus in NW #Syrian is on #AlQaeda loyalists -- they were deemed a greater external plot threat than #ISIS a year ago.

But it's hard not to see the correlation here: #HTS's rivals, critics & business competitors are all dying off in U.S. strikes.

#AlQaeda loyalists & #HTS defectors have been alleging for months now that they're being set up for U.S. strikes by #HTS elements.

Those allegations will reach fever pitch after tonight's strike, which have dealt a big blow to #HTS's jihadist rivals in #Idlib.

Update: U.S. military confirms a strike was conducted against "al-Qaeda in #Syria (AQ-S)" tonight in #Idlib.

These strikes are conducted in joint coordination between JSOC & CIA.