Al-Qaeda's senior commander killed in airstrike in Syria

Beirut: Activists say a top commander in Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate has been killed in an airstrike in the war torn country. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Abdul Mohsen Abdallah Ibrahim al-Charekh, a Saudi better known as Sanafi al-Nasr, was killed Thursday in an airstrike near the northern Syrian town of Dana. [caption id=“attachment_1366647” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The Observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said Saturday it was not clear if al-Charekh was killed by US or Russian warplanes. Jihadi activists on social media say he was killed by a US drone strike. Al-Charekh, the alleged leader of Al-Qaeda’s operations in Syria, was one of six men on whom the UN Security Council imposed sanctions last year. His death came three months after the US killed top Al-Qaeda official Muhsin al-Fadhli. Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate is led by Abu Muhammed al-Golani. AP