Syrian media activist survives IS attempted assassination in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - A Syrian independent media activist working in southeast Turkey survived an assassination attempt Sunday, June 12 that was claimed by the Islamic State group, the Associated Press reports.

Ahmed Abdelqader, founder of the Syrian media group Eye on Homeland, was shot Sunday afternoon by two gunmen riding a motorbike in the city of Sanliurfa.

Eye on Homeland, which disseminates news about Syria on its website and radio station, issued a statement saying three shots had been fired in the failed assassination attempt.

Fellow Syrian activist Abu Ibrahim of the monitoring group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) says Abdelqader was "hospitalized, in a stable condition."

Another colleague, who requested anonymity out of fear for his safety, said the gunmen had used silencers. The gunmen escaped, AP says.

The Islamic State-linked Amaq News Agency said IS militants had staged the attack on Abdelqader, formerly a member of RBSS.

Abdelqader's brother, Ibrahim, was one of two Syrian activists slain by IS operatives in Sanliurfa in October 2015. The second was Fares Hamadi.

IS claimed responsibility for last year's killings in a video message warning that "every apostate will be slaughtered silently."

The Syrian activist groups RBSS and Eye on Homeland regularly report on IS activities in Syria, drawing on their network of local contacts.