{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.}
Abdul Qadir al-Saleh, the leader of Liwa al-Tawhid, died overnight, a spokesman told the Associated Press.
Abdul Aziz Salama, the brigade’s political leader, had assumed overall command, the spokesman added.
Liwa al-Tawhid is one of the main rebel forces in Aleppo and is estimated to have between 8,000 and 10,000 fighters.
It was formed in July 2012 to unite the many separate fighting groups operating 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.
Government advance
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 and another senior figure, Abdul al-Aziz Salameh, were meanwhile rushed to a hospital in neighbouring Turkey. The opposition Aleppo News Network reported on Friday that they were in a “good condition”.
{{BBC}}
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