Al-Nusra’s mysterious leader trapped by Syrian army
Syrian army has besieged a strategic area in Aleppo, trapping head of the al-Nusra Front Abu Mohamed al-Golani, the group members have said.
One of the al-Nusra memebrs has sent a message on Twitter social website that says their leader has been trapped inside an area besieged recently by the Syrian army.
The location is said to be Aleppo’s thermal station, according to the tweet.
Abu Maria al-Ansari, another top al-Nusra figure is said to be trapped in the area along with Golani as well.
Golani is so mysterious that no one can say with certainty what his real name is. Golani is a nom de guerre, indicating he was born in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
A native of Syria, he joined the insurgency after moving to Iraq, regional intelligence officials say.
There, he advanced through Al-Qaeda’s ranks and eventually returned to Syria shortly after the Syrian crisis began in March 2011.
Under Golani’s leadership, Nusra has grown into one of the most powerful terrorist groups, with an estimated force of 6,000 to 7,000 militants across Syria.
The US State Department, which placed Nusra on its list of terrorist groups in December 2012, said it had claimed nearly 600 attacks, including suicide attacks, small-arms operations and bombings in major cities.