The fighter in the ranks of the “Syrian National Army,” known as “Abu Tow,” left Syria’s last rebel-held province, Idlib, after he survived a kidnapping attempt yesterday, 18 March.

The correspondent of Enab Baladi in the province of Idlib reported that “Abu Tow” arrived in the Afrin area in the northern countryside of Aleppo on Wednesday, 18 March, after he left Idlib as requested by the SNA command. 

The correspondent pointed out that under the heavy escort of SNA members, “Abu Tow” left Idlib and passed checkpoints of Hay’ at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Ghazawiya crossing that links between Idlib and rural Aleppo.

“Abu Tow” was shot in the city of Idlib, resulting in injury to his left foot after he took part in a demonstration on the occasion of the Ninth Anniversary of the Syrian Revolution.

According to Enab Baladi’s information, hooded elements tried to kidnap “Abu Tow” before people accompanying him engaged them.

The clash led to the injury of one of the masked men, called “Abu Omar Binnish.” Binnish is affiliated with the HTS security apparatus, the media activist, “Abu Mujahid al-Halabi,” said through his Telegram channel.

Enab Baladi contacted via voicemail with the HTS communications director, Taqi al-Din Omar, who denied the HTS’s relation with the attempted kidnapping of “Abu Tow.”

Omar highlighted that “Abu Tow was being subjected to an unsuccessful assassination attempt in the city of Idlib. Subsequently, HTS security patrols were mobilized in the area; they shut down the city and started looking for perpetrators. They also laid ambushes to seal off the surrounding area. It is not true the HTS security apparatus wanted to arrest him.”

When asked about the injury of “Abu Omar Binnish”, an HTS element, Omar only said that “the response is our statement to dismiss all these allegations.” 

For his part, “Abu Tow” tweeted on his account that “the hidden dark hands and black grudge they have tried to assassinate me and in a cowardly treacherous manner, aiming to avenge  the al- Assad regime and its military mechanisms.”

“Abu Tow” added that “exposing the criminals is the responsibility of every free rebel in order to put an end to the deliberate targeting of the lives of the children of the revolution.”

“Abu Tow is from the town of Abadeta, he defected from the al-Assad forces in March 2012, after he had volunteered in the “army” as a Warrant Officer, specializing in launching the “Malotka missiles.”

 Suhail Mahammad Hamoud became known as “Abu Tow,” upon his success in destroying the Syrian regime forces’ military vehicles, using “Tow” anti-armor missiles, especially during his participation in the recent battles in the western countryside of Aleppo.

The HTS arrested Hamoud a couple of times over the past two years and then released him. 

As Hamoud confirmed in a previous interview with Enab Baladi that the HTS had pursued him for five months, which drove him to flee from Idlib to Afrin in the northern countryside of Aleppo.