One of al-Qaida's top commanders was killed in an air strike over Syria, activists said Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
Abdul Mohsen Abdallah Ibrahim al-Charekh, also known as Sanafi al-Nasr, was killed in an airstrike near Dana Thursday. Two other members of al-Qaida were also killed in the same strike. Al-Charekh was allegedly the leader of the Syrian al-Qaida operations.
Russia has been launching airstrikes over Syria since Sept. 30, targeting al-Qaida and others. Working separately from the Russians, the U.S. and several allies are also sending air strikes into the area to target the Islamic State, ISIS, and other known terrorist groups. It's not clear as of Saturday if Russia forces or the U.S. and its allies is behind the air strike that allegedly killed al-Charekh Thursday.
The commander was allegedly a member of the shadowy Khorasan Group, who are said to be responsible for carrying out attacks against Western nations. The existence of the this group, however, has been denied by terrorist forces, according to The International Business Times.
The U.S. Treasury Department named al-Charekh as a "global terrorist" in 2014, The Times of Israel reported. He has been reported dead in the past, though these reports were later proved to be untrue.
