(Zaman Al Wasl)- Two people were killed and 5 more wounded on Friday in Russian airstrikes on the northwestern province of Idlib, Civil Defence agency said.
The strikes hit the town of Jisr al-Shughour that has endured to heavy bombing during the week.
Russia’s airstrikes on Wednesday also killed 3 civilians, including children in the town of Maarrat Harma.
Idlib is the largest chunk of Syrian territory held by moderate rebels and Islamist factions including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, al Qaeda's former affiliate.
2 civilians were killed, and 5 injured after artillery shelling targeted #Jisr_alshoghor city in the #Idlib countryside, #CivilDefense teams rushed in to help the wounded, and continue their rescue operations. pic.twitter.com/EKZ7zSIgtj
— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) February 16, 2018
In relevant development in Idlib, Abu Ayman al-Masri, a prominent commander in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was killed by a rival Nour al-din al-Zinki group on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Fighters from the Nour al-din al-Zinki rebel group "fired on a car as it was crossing one of their checkpoints in the village of Al-Huta after midnight," according to the Observatory.
His wife was also wounded.
A spokesman for al-Zinki, Mohammad Adib, told AFP that the movement did not know who was in the car.
"The guys at the checkpoint gestured for the car to stop but it did not comply and it crossed the checkpoint. When they fired, they were not aware who was inside," Adib said.
He insisted that the incident "was not linked to the escalation" of tensions between rival groups.
Al-Ibaa, a media channel affiliated with HTS, also reported that Masri had been killed and his wife wounded after "being hit in direct fire from al-Zinki."
HTS is dominated by members of Al-Qaeda's onetime Syria affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.
According to the Observatory, Masri was in charge of education services for foreign members of the organization.
He had previously served as a military trainer for new recruits.
"Abu Ayman was a member of Al-Qaeda international," the Observatory said, adding that he had fought with the organization in Afghanistan.
Masri was already in Syria when Al-Nusra Front began establishing itself as a major force in rebel ranks in 2014.
The Nour al-Din al-Zinki movement is a militant faction with a powerful presence in western parts of Aleppo province near the border with Idlib.
Zaman Al Wasl
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