Gunmen kill 2 Syrian activists
beirut — Two activists critical of both the regime and militants were gunned down on Friday in Syria’s last major rebel bastion in the northwest of the country, their radio station and a monitor said.
Citizen journalist Raed Fares and Hamod Jnaid were “shot dead by unknown assailants riding in a van in the town of Kafr Nabel” in Idlib province, Fresh FM said on its Facebook page.
More than half of Idlib and the surrounding region is controlled by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, an alliance led by militants, while most of the rest is held by pro-Turkey rebels. The Daesh group also has a presence in the province.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the two men died of their wounds from the attack, for which there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
“They were famous for their criticism of rebels committing violations or arresting civilians, especially when it came to militant groups,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
“Both have several times been detained by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham,” he said.
Throughout Syria’s seven-year war, Fares has been known for his often humorous signs in English and Arabic criticising President Bashar Al Assad’s regime.
Fares founded Fresh FM in 2013 to counter “fundamentalist narratives” in Idlib, he has said.