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Explosion Reportedly Kills 28 Members of Islamist Group Fighting ISIS in Syria

Among the dead was Hassan Aboud, the leader of Ahrar al-Sham.

By Russell Berman
This article is from the archive of our partner .

An explosion in Syria killed at least 28 high-ranking members of an Islamist insurgent group that is fighting the Islamic State, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing a group that monitors the war raging there.

The blast took out the leader of Ahrar al-Sham, Hassan Aboud, the group confirmed on its Twitter feed, according to Reuters. The hardline group is a member of the Islamic Front alliance fighting ISIS and had at one time been considered the strongest insurgent group in Syria.

Al-Jazeera reported that the attack was a suicide bomb targeting a high-level meeting of rebel groups in Idlib province. It cited a death toll of between 20 and 45.

Foreign Affairs noted in January that Ahrar al-Sham had also been linked to al Qaeda, one of several factors complicating the debate over whether the U.S. should aid them in their fight against ISIS.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.