A rebel military leader who was among the first to call openly for armed insurrection against President Bashar Assad was wounded by a bomb planted in his car in eastern Syria, rebels and activists said Monday.
Col Riad Al-Asaad, leader of a now-sidelined rebel umbrella group known as the Free Syrian Army, had his right foot amputated following the blast late on Sunday, activist said in the town of Mayadeen where the attack took place. Calls to Al-Asaad’s cell phone went unanswered.
louay Almokdad, a rebel spokesman, confirmed the attack to The Associated Press by phone and said the extent of the injury meant that amputation was likely, though he had not received confirmation it had been carried out. He said Al-Asaad was in stable condition in Turkey. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Al-Asaad, a ex-colonel in the Syrian air force who defected and fled to Turkey in 2011, became the head of the Free Syrian Army. AP