18/11/2013 18:59
Top Syrian rebel commander dies
A top Syrian rebel commander has died of wounds he sustained in an air strike on a rebel-held air base in Aleppo province on Thursday, his group says, according to the BBC.
Abdul Qadir al-Saleh, the leader of Liwa al-Tawhid, died overnight, a spokesman told the Associated Press.
Liwa al-Tawhid is one of the main rebel forces in Aleppo and is estimated to have between 8,000 and 10,000 fighters.
Liwa al-Tawhid formed in July 2012, uniting many separate fighting groups in the northern Aleppo countryside. Later that month, it led a rebel offensive on the city of Aleppo and took control of several districts.
In January, Liwa al-Tawhid joined the Syrian Islamic Liberation Front (SILF), an alliance of Islamist groups which mostly recognise the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army but not the National Coalition.
Saleh, a former businessman from the town of Marea, had been meeting other senior figures from Liwa al-Tawhid at the time of the air strike.
Youssef al-Abbas, also known as Abu al-Tayyeb, died soon after the attack. There are conflicting reports about whether he was the brigade's intelligence or financial chief.
Saleh was meanwhile rushed to a hospital in neighbouring Turkey. The opposition Aleppo News Network reported on Friday that he was in a "good condition."
However, Saleh's subsequently died and was brought back to Syria for burial, Liwa al-Tawhid and activists confirmed on Monday.
"We declare the martyrdom of Abdul Qadir al-Saleh," a statement by the brigade said.
Abdul Aziz Salama, the brigade's political leader, has assumed overall command, the group's spokesman said.