DHAKA: A senior commander of the Syrian militant group formerly known as al-Nusra Front has been killed near Aleppo.

The group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham said on its Twitter account that commander Abu Omar Sarakeb died in an air strike in Aleppo province.

It did not say which country’s forces had carried out the air strike, reports the BBC.

Al-Nusra Front changed its name at the end of July, reportedly cutting ties with al-Qaeda at the same time.

The Syrian government, Russia and a US-led coalition have all been carrying out air strikes against militant groups in Syria.

A source said that Abu Omar Sarakeb and others had been targeted in a hideout in the village of Kafr Naha, west of Aleppo city.

Unconfirmed reports said several other senior figures in the group were killed or injured, Reuters reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human rights, a UK-based group which draws its information from activists on the ground, said an air strike from unknown warplanes had hit a meeting of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, killing Sarakeb and another military commander named as Abu Muslem al-Shami.

BDST: 1027 HRS, SEP 09, 2016
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