Al Qaeda suicide bomber takes out leadership of key ISIS leader

The power struggle between Al Qaeda and ISIS took another turn on November 15 when a suicide bombing in Syria took out six top level ISIS fighters.

The bombing occurred during a top-level meeting of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, an ISIS militia that holds parts of the Golan Heights.

The attack claimed the lives of six members of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, including Muhammad “Abu Ali” al-Baridi, the leader of the group who was also known as “The Uncle.”

According to FOX News, Al Nusra Front, which is Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, took credit for the attack and called it a “heroic” attack on Twitter.

Alex Fishman, a veteran military correspondent for Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot, said, “The Islamic State that controls the closest area to the Israel border in the Syrian Golan Heights, suffered a severe blow and lost its entire top command in the area in one fell swoop.”

While Al Nusra and ISIS have been fighting common enemies north of Damascus, the two Islamic groups have been fighting each other along the Israeli border.

ISIS, which separated from Al Qaeda a couple of years ago, has gradually taken the spotlight from Al Qaeda and is considered a bigger terrorist threat to the Western world.

The suicide bombing didn’t get much attention in the news because of the Paris attacks that were orchestrated by ISIS.

Regional Arab news stations first broke the story of Al Nusra’s attack on ISIS, but the impact of the attack wasn’t known until the news of the death of Muhammad “Abu Ali” al-Baridi got out.

“We heard the sound of a strong explosion coming from the former Baath Party headquarters in the village,” said Abu al-Ezzam, a Jamleh resident. “We ran to the place, and there were body parts scattered everywhere.”

Abu al-Ezzam added that the village that was attacked was known as a meeting place for the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade leadership.

According to Lebanon’s Daily Star, Al Nusra called on ISIS fighters to surrender to surrender to their group.

In a statement released on social media, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade responded to the attacks. The group said, “The martyrdom of the leaders will only make us more determined. Blood and sacrifice are welcome for God’s sake.”

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