Blow to ISIL in southern Syria

Leaders of Khalid Bin Walid Army killed in blast

AMMAN // An explosion killed four top ISIL leaders near the border with Israel and Jordan this week, striking the single biggest blow against the group in southern Syria in more than a year.

The blast killed Abu Mohammad Al Makdessi, head of the ISIL-affiliated Khalid Bin Walid Army, and his top three aides: Abu Uday Al Homsi, the group’s military emir; Abu Dujanna Al Idlebi, the security emir; and Abu Ali Shbat, a religious official.

Syrian rebel sources said other fighters were also killed in the blast.

The explosion happened on Wednesday in the village of Shajara, about 25 kilometres north- west of Deraa city in the Yarmouk Basin, where the Khalid Bin Walid army has its stronghold. It tore apart a building in which the militants were meeting, and apparently having their predawn Ramadan meal.

Shajara is less than seven kilometres from the border with Israel, and about 4km from the frontier with Jordan.

No one has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, which rebel sources suggest was a missile strike. The USled coalition against ISIL, which has been conducting strikes in Syria, typically announces its raids.

Israel, which has also hit targets in Syria that it deems to be a security risk, routinely does not make public announcements, prompting speculation it was behind the attack.

Some moderate rebels have suggested the Syrian regime may have been involved.

On Twitter, an account that appeared to be connected to the Khalid Bin Walid Army confirmed the deaths, saying they had happened because of an “air strike by the crusader coalition”.