Top commander close to al Qaeda leader killed in airstrike in Syria

Fighters from the Fatah al-Sham Front.
(Image credit: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images)

Ahmed Salama Mabrouk, a top commander with the al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, was killed Monday in an airstrike, the group said.

The Fatah al-Sham Front, formerly known as Nusra Front, made the announcement after the Pentagon said that an airstrike had taken place in Syria, targeting a high-ranking leader. Spokesman Peter Cook said if confirmed, Mabrouk's death would "disrupt and degrade coordination among senior AQ leaders and extremists." Another senior commander from the group was killed in an airstrike in September.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.