Syrian rebel group names new leaders after blast

An ultraconservative Syrian rebel group named a new leader and military chief on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after an explosion killed nearly a dozen of its senior figures in a potentially fatal blow to one of the most powerful factions in the country's armed opposition, The Associated Press reported.

The group, Ahrar al-Sham, has been among the steadiest and most effective groups fighting to oust President Bashar Assad in Syria's civil war, now in its fourth year. It has also been on the front lines of a now nine-month battle in northern Syria against the extremist Islamic State group.

The blast late Tuesday struck a high-level meeting in the town of Ram Hamdan in Idlib province in northwestern Syria. Ahrar al-Sham's top boss, Hassan Aboud, was among the dead.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the group said in a video statement posted online that Hashem al-Sheik Abu Jaber would assume overall leadership, while Abu Saleh Tahan would fill the role of military commander.

It was not immediately clear who was behind Tuesday's explosion, and there were conflicting reports on the exact nature of the blast. Ahrar al-Sham described it as a car bombing.