AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria’s militant Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly the Nusra Front, said on Monday that Egyptian cleric Abu al Faraj al Masri, a prominent member of the militant group, had been killed in a strike by the U.S.-led coalition.
A statement posted to social media said Sheikh Abu al Faraj al Masri, whose real name is Shekih Ahmad Salamah Mabrouk, a member of the group’s religious Shura council, had been killed in a strike in the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib.
Jihadist sources had earlier said al-Masri was killed when an unidentified drone hit the vehicle in which he was traveling. A U.S defense official confirmed to Reuters a strike had targeted a prominent al Qaeda member on Monday but said Washington was still assessing its result.
Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Catherine Evans
