Syria claims it killed commander of al-Nusra Front
State-run news agency says military leader killed during an army operation targeting the al-Qaeda affiliated group
BEIRUT — Syrian state-run news agency SANA said Thursday that the army has killed the military commander of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front.
The agency says Abu Hommam al-Shami was killed during a military operation carried out by the Syrian army that targeted an al-Nusra meeting in the village of Habeet, in the northern Idlib province.
It did not elaborate, but the report suggested he was killed in an airstrike.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that an al-Nusra Front leadership meeting was targeted in Idlib, killing a number of prominent leaders, including Abu Hommam.
It said it was not clear whether the meeting was targeted by a US-led coalition airstrike or a Syrian army strike.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.