Abu Maria al-Qahtani

Maysar Ali Musa Abdullah al-Juburi was born on 1 June 1976 in Al-Shura in the Mosul District of Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. Prior to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, he was a student at the University of Mosul and a member of Fedayeen Saddam. After the fall of the Ba'athist government, he joined the Iraqi Police in Mosul but later left and was eventually arrested. Following his release from prison in 2004, he joined the Al-Qaeda in Iraq organisation. While in Al-Qaeda in Iraq, he served as the head of the religious police of the organization overseeing the implementation of Sharia in areas under its control.{{Cite web |date=28 August 2023 |title=Abu Maria al-Qahtani: Deposed leader of Tahrir al-Sham |url=https://www.theportal-center.com/2023/08/abu-maria-al-qahtani-deposed-leader-of-tahrir-al-sham/ |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=Center For Middle Eastern Studies |language= |archive-date=5 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305111411/https://www.theportal-center.com/2023/08/abu-maria-al-qahtani-deposed-leader-of-tahrir-al-sham/ |url-status=live }}

Al-Qahtani was sent to Syria with Abu Mohammad al-Julani in 2011 by ISI leadership on the orders of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and served on the Shura council of the newly formed Jabhat al-Nusra organisation which was the Syrian branch of the Islamic State of Iraq. While being a subordinate of ISI as it was the parent organisation of Jabhat al-Nusra, Al-Qahtani was a known vocal critic of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and made multiple attempts for the Al-Nusra Front to separate from ISI which caused a rift among members within al-Nusra.{{cite web|url=https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/al-qaeda-syria-yemen-dispute-islamic-state/#more-3834|title=Al-Qaeda in Syria Condemns Al-Qaeda in Yemen's Softness on the Islamic State|date=20 October 2014|publisher=|accessdate=26 January 2018|archive-date=16 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516051915/https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/al-qaeda-syria-yemen-dispute-islamic-state/#more-3834|url-status=live}} While advocating for a separation from not just ISI{{cite news |last=Dettmer |first=Jamie |date=4 May 2015 |title=Resurgent Syrian Rebels Aim for Assad |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/04/syria-s-rebels-on-winning-streak-in-alliance-with-al-qaeda |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208061537/https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/04/syria-s-rebels-on-winning-streak-in-alliance-with-al-qaeda |archive-date=8 December 2019 |accessdate=26 January 2018 |newspaper=The Daily Beast}} but from Al-Qaeda as a whole, he expressed dissatisfaction with others in the leadership of the Al-Nusra Front including Abu Mohammad al-Julani. It is also alleged he considered forming his own group. He was also known to be a supporter of Turkish operations in Syria even though the official stance of Tahrir al-Sham was against the intervention. He allegedly assassinated rival leaders in Tahrir al-Sham in an effort to support the Turkish operation.{{cite web|url=http://en.hawarnews.com/abu-maria-al-qahtani-turkeys-compass-to-adlib/|title=Abu-Maria Al-Qahtani… Turkey's compass to Adlib – ANHA|website=en.hawarnews.com|accessdate=26 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210082503/http://en.hawarnews.com/abu-maria-al-qahtani-turkeys-compass-to-adlib/|archive-date=10 February 2018|url-status=dead}}

Al-Qahtani was involved in infighting between factions as well as internal disputes in Al-Nusra itself, which caused him to later be dismissed from his position as general Sharia official in 2014. However, he was still very influential and close to the leadership of Tahrir al-Sham.{{cite web|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2015/07/syria-jabhat-al-nusra-dismissal-leaders-secrets.html|title=Internal divisions lead to 'hemorrhaging' of Jabhat al-Nusra leaders|last=bfarhat|date=23 July 2015|publisher=|accessdate=26 January 2018|archive-date=26 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126184944/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2015/07/syria-jabhat-al-nusra-dismissal-leaders-secrets.html|url-status=live}}

In 2016, he was allegedly involved in the formation of Ahrar al-Sharqiya, which is a group composed of individuals exiled from the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, many of whom were formerly fighters from Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra. The group took part in the Turkish military operation in Afrin.{{Cite web|url=http://www.francesoir.fr/en-coop-matteo-puxton/syrie-ahrar-al-sharqiya-ces-anciens-dal-nosra-qui-combattent-avec-larmee?platform=hootsuite|title=Syrie: Ahrar al-Sharqiya, ces anciens d'al-Nosra devenus supplétifs de la Turquie|date=3 May 2018|access-date=27 June 2018|archive-date=3 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203114534/http://www.francesoir.fr/en-coop-matteo-puxton/syrie-ahrar-al-sharqiya-ces-anciens-dal-nosra-qui-combattent-avec-larmee?platform=hootsuite|url-status=live}} His involvement and affiliation with Ahrar al-Sharqiya is unknown and has been doubted by many observers and analysts. However, a commander in Ahrar al-Sharqiya, Abu Ishaq al-Ahwazi, praised Qahtani in a 2016 interview.{{Cite web|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/11/syria-ahrar-al-sharqiya-deir-ez-zor-regime-tribes.html|title=Eastern Syria fighters accused of brutality after videos emerge – Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East|date=12 November 2019|access-date=14 November 2019|archive-date=14 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114163637/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/11/syria-ahrar-al-sharqiya-deir-ez-zor-regime-tribes.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=US–Backed SDF Commander Killed in Eastern Deir Ezzur as Tensions Heighten |url=https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13971027000255 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204181949/http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13971027000255 |archive-date=4 February 2019 |access-date=14 November 2019}}

Al-Qahtani was jailed in August 2023 for alleged misuse of social media. He was released in March 2024.{{cite news |title=Protesters march in Syria against al-Qaida-linked group as a prominent militant is released |url=https://apnews.com/article/syria-idlib-algolani-maysara-aljubour-idlib-608bc3a12050a6427bcfa3ef6771be49 |publisher=AP News |date=8 March 2024 |language=en |access-date=8 March 2024 |archive-date=8 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308170321/https://apnews.com/article/syria-idlib-algolani-maysara-aljubour-idlib-608bc3a12050a6427bcfa3ef6771be49 |url-status=live }}

Al-Qahtani was killed in a suicide bombing in Sarmada on 4 April 2024, which Tahrir al-Sham blamed on the Islamic State.{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/top-iraqi-jihadist-killed-suicide-bombing-northwest-syria-2024-04-05/|title=Top Iraqi jihadist killed in suicide bombing in northwest Syria|work=Reuters|date=5 April 2024|accessdate=6 December 2024|archive-date=5 April 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240405060309/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/top-iraqi-jihadist-killed-suicide-bombing-northwest-syria-2024-04-05/|url-status=live}}

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Category:1976 births

Category:2024 deaths

Category:Al-Nusra Front members

Category:Al-Qaeda leaders

Category:Assassinated Iraqi people

Category:Assassinations in Syria

Category:Deaths by suicide bomber

Category:Iraqi al-Qaeda members

Category:Members of al-Qaeda in Iraq

Category:People from Nineveh Governorate

Category:People killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Category:University of Mosul alumni