An armed man was killed and a civilian wounded in clashes between Internal Security Forces and an armed group from the “French camp” in Idlib governorate (northwestern Syria) on Wednesday, 28 October.
The Internal Security Command in Idlib governorate said one of its patrols spotted an armed group leaving the “French camp” toward the Harim area (Idlib countryside), in violation of an agreement prohibiting members from leaving the camp with weapons.
The command told al-Ikhbariya that as the patrol pursued the group to stop it, its members opened fire on the security force, prompting officers to return fire.
The incident killed one member of the armed group, wounded a civilian and damaged an Internal Security Forces vehicle, according to the Idlib Internal Security Command.
It stressed that the Interior Ministry continues to enforce the law and pursue anyone who undermines security or attacks security forces, to protect civilians and maintain stability.
The camp, located in the city of Harim near the Turkish border, houses fighters from al-Ghuraba, a group led by French national Omar Omsen (Omar Diaby), along with their families. It is surrounded by a wall they built to maintain their privacy and equipped with surveillance cameras.
Earlier Fears of a Possible Government Raid
On 7 October, the French al-Ghuraba group, based in Harim in Idlib governorate in northern Syria, said the Syrian government had sent machinery to demolish ruins surrounding its camp, expressing fears of a possible raid.
In a statement at the time, the group said the Syrian government had chosen the anniversary of the “7 October battle” in the Palestinian Gaza Strip to send an engineering vehicle to demolish and level the walls and structures of abandoned homes surrounding the “French camp.”
According to the statement, published on the group’s Telegram channel, the government had used a “tactical ruse,” positioning a 23 mm heavy machine gun opposite the camp to serve as a point from which to guide the bulldozer remotely.
The group said the unstated objective was to prepare the ground and identify a strategic position for redeploying the heavy weapon ahead of “their next attack.”
The group said it had asked about the reason for the operation. The demolition team replied that it wanted to prevent access to the empty homes so no one could settle in them, adding that the measure would be implemented across the entire area.
The group countered that abandoned homes were widespread, but the team had started with the area surrounding the camp because those buildings obstructed visibility. It asked: “Why did they specifically position a reconnaissance team equipped with a 23 mm machine gun directly opposite?”
It also said a reconnaissance aircraft had flown over the camp following what it described as “provocations.”
The French al-Ghuraba group accused the government of maintaining a siege of the camp for the preceding three months and of “arbitrarily arresting” Syrian civilians who had come to work for the group to provide for their families.
Previous Tensions
Relations between the government and al-Ghuraba had previously been strained in October 2025, when clashes ended with a ceasefire agreement.
The clashes broke out after the kidnapping of an 11-year-old French Muslim girl named Maimouna Firstay, with French foreign fighters allegedly demanding a ransom for her release.
A number of Uzbek fighters also announced that they were joining the “French foreign fighters” to defend them.
In a statement at the time, Idlib Internal Security Commander Ghassan Bakir said the operation had begun after a girl was abducted from her mother by an outlawed armed group led by Omar Diaby, also known as Omar Omsen, the group’s leader.
According to Bakir, the Interior Ministry’s measures included completely surrounding the camp, establishing observation posts along its perimeter and deploying teams to secure its entrances and exits.