Syrian Interior Ministry Clarifies Details of Security Operation in “French Camp” in Idlib

Tensions and clashes erupted in Idlib province over the past several hours at the Al-Fardan Camp—also known as Al-Ghuraba (The Strangers) Camp—between internal security forces and an armed group of foreign fighters led by French-Senegalese national Omar Diaby, known as Omar Omsen.

In a statement published on platform X, the Interior Ministry of Syria’s transitional government said the security operation was launched in response to complaints from camp residents over “serious violations,” the latest being the kidnapping of a French girl from her mother by a group led by Diaby. The ministry added that Diaby rejected negotiation efforts and barricaded himself inside the camp, using civilians as human shields while opening fire on security forces.

Brigadier General Ghassan Bakir, head of Internal Security in Idlib, emphasized that “protecting civilians and enforcing the law are the top priorities,” stressing that the security forces will “firmly continue taking necessary measures to uphold the rule of law.”

According to local sources, security forces imposed a cordon around the camp after Diaby refused to negotiate, setting up observation points along its perimeter and deploying teams to secure entrances and exits in an effort to prevent further escalation.

Later reports by Al Arabiya/Al Hadath correspondents, citing local sources, indicated that an agreement was reached between internal security and the French group to pursue the case judicially through mediators, while handing control of the camp over to state authorities.

Commenting on the events, Ahmed Moafaq Zaidan, adviser to the head of Syria’s transitional government Ahmad Al-Shara`a, said the clashes were “a result of refusing to submit to the rule of law,” affirming via platform X that “Syria today is a state governed by law, and everyone must comply.”

It is worth noting that the United States approved last June a Syrian plan to integrate a number of former opposition fighters into the National Army, on the condition that the process be carried out “transparently,” according to U.S. presidential envoy Tom Barrack under then-President Donald Trump.

Al-Ghuraba Brigade, led by Diaby, is based in a camp on the outskirts of the city of Harem. Diaby, who is listed by the U.S. as an “international terrorist,” left France in 2013 for Syria, where he founded a faction consisting of dozens of French youths, most of them from the city of Nice.