An announcement by the group said he was "martyred" in an air strike in the countryside of Aleppo. Since the U.S.-led coalition was launched, air strikes have targeted Nusra Front figures in Syria, killing scores. The leader of the group Abu Mohammad al-Jolani was apparently not at the meeting. Washington said altering the name of the group did not signal a shedding of its hardline al Qaeda-style ideology. One of the complications is that former Nusra operates side by side with Western-backed moderate Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel groups in major frontlines against the Syrian army that is aided by heavy Russian air power and fighters from Iran-backed militias.

Source: Thanhnien News September 09, 2016 00:33 UTC