I love a little good news with my dinner.

The Syrian leader of an Islamic militant group blew himself up Tuesday after trying to cross into Lebanon and engaging in a gunbattle with Syrian border forces. Two border guards were wounded.

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The Syrian Interior Ministry said in a statement the clash began when Omar Abdullah, 28, the leader of the Islamic militant group Tawhid and Jihad, was challenged when he tried to cross into Lebanon with fake documents.

Tawhid and Jihad, Arabic for Monotheism and Holy War, was the name originally used by al-Qaida in Iraq and in 2004, the State Department designated it a terrorist group under its original name. Groups linked to or sympathetic to al-Qaida have used the name Tawhid and Jihad, but such a group had not been known to be operating in Syria.

A witness said Abdullah was standing outside the passport control building when security agents approached. He opened fire with a handgun, wounding two guards, then ran toward the nearby village of Kfeir Yabous about 500 yards away.

More security forces arrived, started shooting and apparently hit the gunman, said the witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals. He said the attacker raised one hand in a gesture of surrender, but used the other to detonate an explosives belt.

Blood could be seen splattered on the rocky terrain nearby.

Let's hope we have more of these folks go to their infernal reward without taking anyone else with them.

Posted by: Greg at 02:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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