A top commander of Jabhat Fatah al Sham, the former al Qaeda offshoot in Syria, has been killed in Aleppo, according to the militant group.

The group, formerly known as Jabhat al Nusra, announced on its Twitter account that Commander Abu Hajer al Homsi had died in an aerial raid.

It said the strike targeted a meeting of the group's leaders but did not say who carried out the attack or when it was.

An Islamist source told the Reuters news agency the militants were in a secret hideout in the village of Kafr Naha.

There were unconfirmed reports that several other senior figures were either injured or killed.


The group has been playing an instrumental role in ongoing battles against the Syrian army troops and Iranian backed Shi'ite militias.

It ended its relationship with the global jihadist network founded by Osama bin Laden last July.

The move appeared to be an attempt to appeal to Syrians who have misgivings about Nusra's links with al Qaeda, and to avoid being targeted.

But the name change was dismissed by Washington, which said it did not change its stance on the organisation that is listed as a terrorist group.

The US also said the rebranding did not suggest a change in its ideology.

The US-led coalition, Russia and Syrian government warplanes have been conducting airstrikes against militant groups in Syria.

Moscow and Washington have been discussing coordinating targeting militants in Syria.

