‘Commander of Syrian rebel alliance killed in airstrike’

Beirut, Sep 9 (AFP) The top military commander of theArmy of Conquest, the largest Syrian rebel alliance, waskilled in an airstrike during a meeting of the group’sleaders, jihadist sources have said. The former Al-Nusra Front, renamed Fateh al-Sham Front,announced on Twitter "the martyrdom" of commander Abu OmarSarakeb during an air strike in Syria’s Aleppo province. The Syrian Observatory for Human rights confirmed thatairstrikes by unknown warplanes — from the US-led coalition,Russia or the Syrian regime — hit an Army of Conquest meetingin urban Aleppo in northern Syria and killed Omar Sarakeb andanother military commander named as Abu Muslem al-Shami. The Army of Conquest is the largest anti-regime rebelalliance in Syria, grouping Islamist factions including Ahraral-Sham and Faylaq al-Sham with jihadists such as the Fatehal-Sham Front, previously Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front. According to the Syrian Observatory, Abu Omar Sarakib wasthe rebel commander in last year’s battle for control ofSyria’s northwestern Idlib province and a known Al-Qaeda inIraq jihadist. The Army of Conquest controls Idlib province, but lastweek suffered a major loss in southern Aleppo after amonth-long rebel and jihadist offensive. (AFP)AJR