Al-Qaeda leader Sanafi al-Nasr reportedly killed by Russian forces in Syria airstrike

Senior al-Qaeda leader Sanafi al-Nasr has been killed in an airstrike in the Aleppo province in Syria, according to unconfirmed reports. The Saudi-born fighter was allegedly targeted with two other Takfiri terrorist group's members: fellow Saudi native Abdul Malik al-Jazrawi and Moroccan-born Abu Yasir al-Maghrebi who were also believed to have been killed.

The Al-Nusra Front – al-Qaeda's branch in Syria – released a photograph of a car struck by an airstrike in Al-Dana west of Aleppo, along with pictures of the bodies of those understood to be dead.

Al-Nasr was born in the Saudi town of al-Shaqra in Riyadh and fronted al-Qaeda's "Victory Committee", according to local reports, which is tasked with developing and implementing al-Qaeda's strategy and policies.

The deaths reportedly happened as Syrian soldiers gained control of the town of Al-Huwayjinah as the Russian air force launched airstrikes over militants' positions near al-Zarba Village the Aleppo area.

Social media activists who support Al-Nusra Front have posted images online, claiming to show the aftermath of the attack. The images were collected by The Long War Journal.

According to a report from the Fars news agency Syrian army troops and Lebanese Hezbollah forces on Friday (16 October) regained control of the towns of Hadadin al-Gharbiyeh and al-Kassarat and al-Madajen. The fighters also recaptured the villages of Abtayn, and Qala'at Al-Najam.

In other news, the Syrian army clashed with Islamic State terrorists near Deir Ezzur Airport killing 18 Takfiri militants including an unnamed senior commander. The fighters also destroyed ammunition found at the location and a machine gun-enabled vehicle was also destroyed in the operation.