ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – French jihadists holed up in a Syrian camp near the Turkish border vowed “revenge” late Wednesday after accusing Syrian government forces of killing one of their members, prompting further clashes in the northwestern Idlib province. 

An armed group leaving the French camp in Idlib’s Harem area, near the Turkish border, was allegedly attacked by Syrian government forces on Wednesday, killing a militant and injuring a civilian. 

Syrian security forces accused the group of having violated an “established agreement” that bars its members from leaving the camp while armed. 

The group is known as the Firqat al-Ghuraba, or Strangers Division, and is led by Omar Omsen, also known as Omar Diaby, a French jihadist of Senegalese origin, wanted by Paris and designated an “international terrorist” by the US.

A Telegram channel affiliated with the group issued a statement late Wednesday, accusing Syrian government forces of killing one of its members identified as “Abu Ayman al-Faransi,” meaning “Abu Ayman the Frenchman.” 

“We will not leave this land before taking revenge,” the group said. 

It further accused Damascus of preventing merchants in Harem from selling food to the group, saying they left the camp in search of food and claiming that “there is no ban on our possession of weapons.” 

Shortly after, Syrian state media reported that two defense ministry personnel were killed after being targeted by “unknown assailants” in Idlib. 

Another armed confrontation between a group of jihadists from the camp and the Syrian security forces took place in October 2025, when the Syrian army surrounded the area to capture two French nationals sought by the French government.

The Syrian government, under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has been under pressure from the international community to remove foreign jihadists from the country, particularly as a prerequisite to the lifting of sanctions.