Abu al-Qa'qa'

Journeys

Biography

Abu al-Qa'qa' (Mahmoud Qul Aghasi, c. 1973–2007) was an Aleppo-based Salafi preacher who ran jihadist networks funneling fighters to Iraq under Syrian intelligence direction. His 'Ghuraba al-Sham' network sent an estimated 1,000–3,000 fighters to the Iraqi insurgency between 2003 and 2007. He was assassinated outside his mosque on September 28, 2007 — most analysts believe by the Assad regime, which had cultivated then eliminated him when he became a liability.