The Ahrar Jabal al-Arab Gathering in As-Suwayda has accused the Syrian regime of being behind the assassination attempt on its leader, Sheikh Suleiman Abdul Baqi, on Monday, November 11.
In a statement from the gathering, it was mentioned that the assassination attempt on Sheikh Abdul Baqi had failed after he suffered serious injuries.
The statement pointed out that the gathering has called for peacefulness and peaceful change in accordance with general standards for peace; however, the regime’s forces have repeatedly attempted to militarize the As-Suwayda revolution and have not stopped their assassination attempts that have targeted many honorable individuals and continue to do so.”
It indicated that the assassination and liquidation operations reflect “the regime’s fear of the healthy culture embodied by people like Sheikh Suleiman Abdul Baqi.”
Unknown assailants fired upon Sheikh Abdul Baqi and an associate near the As-Suwayda National Hospital, leading to injuries for both, along with one passerby.
In September 2021, Sheikh Abdul Baqi’s house was attacked with a rocket, which did not result in any injuries.
Suleiman Abdul Baqi is considered one of the prominent figures supporting the As-Suwayda protest movement. His military faction stood against the regime to protect peaceful protests and was one of the founders of the al-Karamah Square movement, alongside other local factions such as the Men of Dignity Movement and the Mountain Brigade.
Abdul Baqi and the Ahrar Jabal al-Arab Gathering also played a role in pressuring the regime to release detainees from As-Suwayda’s citizens at the regime’s security checkpoints by kidnapping regime officers and personnel and exchanging them for As-Suwayda citizens.
Last April, the Syrian regime released university student Dani Issam Obeid after arresting him in Latakia province due to his participation in protests in As-Suwayda.
Obeid’s release came after pressure from local factions and civic entities in As-Suwayda, and the regime also released a colonel in the army, in addition to three members of the State Security branch of the regime along with their vehicle, which the Ahrar Jabal al-Arab Gathering had detained.
Abdul Baqi also played a role in combating drug trafficking in As-Suwayda. Previously, the Men of Dignity Movement and other factions (Ahrar Jabal al-Arab Gathering) launched a military campaign targeting drug traffickers in the southern and eastern regions of the province, near the Syrian-Jordanian border, amid local initiatives to establish “popular committees” to support this campaign.
In May, Abdul Baqi stated to Enab Baladi, during the deployment of regime reinforcements to the province, that cutting off the drug routes toward Jordan through As-Suwayda provides a pretext for the regime to invade the province or carry out a military operation within it.
He added that the large military forces that entered As-Suwayda indicate an impending escalation, but local factions have not allowed the establishment of military checkpoints for the regime within the province.
He considered that self-defense is a legitimate right, which he, along with other factions from the As-Suwayda province, would resort to.