Syrian rebel group commander killed in Aleppo airstrike

Syria's Jaish al-Fateh rebel coalition has announced the death of its general commander in an airstrike in Aleppo city.

Abu Omar Saraqeb, the group's commander in Aleppo, was killed among other rebels when an airstrike targeted their gathering place in Aleppo on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The airstrike killed a number of leaders of the group, also known as the Army of Conquest, including one of its founders, and a commander of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, previously known as the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, a military source said.

Among those killed is also Abu Omar al-Homsi, the head of the military operations of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

The commanders were meeting in the countryside of Aleppo when the strike hit.

According to the al-Jazeera, the US-led anti-terror coalition was behind the strike, making it the first US-led airstrike to target Jaish al-Fateh.

The airstrike comes as the Syrian Army on Thursday recaptured the key town of al-Ramouseh in the southern countryside of Aleppo, further tightening the noose on the rebels.

Jaish al-Fateh, an alliance of several rebel factions, was formed in March last year under the supervision and coordination of Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini.

Some of its factions are active in the provinces of Hama and Latakia. The group seized most of Idlib province in northwestern Syria last year and it is actively supported by Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

--IANS

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