Zahran Alloush, who led the Army of Islam insurgent group, died in an airstrike Friday
(Image credit: Amer Almohibany/AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian rebel commander Zahran Alloush reportedly died in an airstrike near Damascus on Friday, The Associated Press reports. Alloush ran the Army of Islam, considered one of the most powerful groups working to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The strike, which also killed other insurgents, came about a month before the expected start of Geneva peace talks between the Syrian government and rebel groups. The Army of Islam appointed Essam al-Buwaydhani, a field commander known as Abu Hammam, to replace Alloush.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.