A war monitor and Syrian activists are reporting that masked gunmen in the country’s rebel-held northwestern province have killed a prominent figure in Syria’s opposition who was also a sharp critic of Islamist militants.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says gunmen fired Friday at Raed Fares and colleague Hammoud al-Juneid in Kafranbel, a town in the south of Idlib province. The two were seriously injured and died of their wounds. Other activists reported the shooting.

Fares gained fame during the Syrian uprising because of continued support of opposition protests even when the conflict took a violent turn. Fares was also a vocal critic of Islamic militants, supporting rallies against them. He also started a local radio station that defied the militants who gained influence in the province.

 
…