The Syrian Coalition mourned the death of the Free Syrian Army commander, the revolutionary leader and former athlete Ahmed Masto, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Aslan al-Kurdi who was assassinated by terrorists in Afrin on Friday.
The Syrian Coalition extended its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Masto as well as to all families who lost loved ones on the path of freedom. It stressed that the Syrian people will always remain true to the sacrifices of their fallen heroes and will continue the struggle until the goals of the revolution for freedom and dignity are achieved.
“Abu Aslan will always be remembered as a fine example of the true rebel who, through both his words and deeds, remained faithful to the revolution and was the embodiment of its slogan ‘the Syrian people are one,” the Coalition said. “Masto worked avidly on building bridges among Syria’s sons and daughters and was acclaimed for speaking out against injustice.”
Activists accused militias of the terrorist Democratic Union Party (PYD) of being responsible for Masto’s assassination. They said that PYD sleeper cells shot Masto in front of his house in Afrin in rural Aleppo on Friday. Masto had already received several death threats for his participation in the Turkish-backed Operation Olive Branch which the Free Syrian Army launched to clear Afrin of the PYD militia.
A former athlete, Abu Aslan was a prominent FSA commander in northern Syria. He was born in the village of Aymeria, also known as Merka, which is part of the Mabtali sub-district in Afrin region.
Abu Aslan joined the anti-regime peaceful movement since its inception in Aleppo province. He was active in the areas of sports and relief work, and was at the forefront of the Kurdish rebels who liberated Afrin from the terrorist organizations, especially the PYD militia. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
