Syria says a French jihadist has been killed in a firefight with government forces

Syria said on Wednesday (28 Oct 2026) that a French jihadist was killed in a shootout with security forces in the country’s northwest, the latest violence against foreign fighters since new Syrian authorities took power.

In October last year, government forces clashed with French jihadists from the so-called Firqat al-Ghuraba (Foreigner Brigade) before the sides agreed to a ceasefire that included the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the Harem camp where they are holed up in Idlib province.

In a statement published on state television, security forces in Idlib said a patrol spotted “an armed group leaving the French camp… in violation of the agreement that prohibits leaving (the site) with weapons.”

Some of the group opened fire on the patrol, which gave chase, “requiring a response to the source of the fire,” the statement said.

One member of the armed group was killed and a civilian wounded, it added.

Firqat al-Ghuraba is led by French-Senegalese criminal-turned-preacher Oumar Diaby, also known as Omar Omsen, and is estimated to include a few dozen to a hundred fighters accompanied by women and children.

On the messaging app Telegram, a channel affiliated with the group posted a statement accusing security forces of opening fire after “our brothers went to buy food in the city,” killing a man they identified as Abu Ayman al-Faransi, meaning “Abu Ayman the Frenchman.”

The statement said the man had lived in Syria for 13 years and fought against the forces of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled by an Islamist alliance in December 2024.

In a statement accusing Syrian authorities of killing the man, he said “we will not leave this country until we take revenge”.

The issue of foreign fighters who flocked to Syria during its civil war is a thorny one, with many countries refusing to take them back.

Hundreds of French citizens joined the ranks of jihadists in Syria during the war.

In September 2016, the United States designated Diaby, suspected of helping francophone fighters travel to Syria, as an “international terrorist”.

Diaby, 50, is also wanted on a French arrest warrant.

While some foreign fighters have joined the ranks of Syria’s new military or security forces, French jihadists have remained in Idlib, where they fought for years alongside factions that helped topple Assad.

Published – 28 Oct 2026 20:45 IST