The military leader of one of Syria's largest rebel groups has died of wounds sustained last week, an opposition watchdog said Monday, dpa reported.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Abdel al-Qader Saleh died of wounds he suffered when Syrian jets hit Liwa al-Tawhid's headquarter in the northern province of Aleppo on Thursday.
The political head of the group, Abdel-Aziz Salameh, suffered minor injuries in the same raid, the Britain-based group said.
Saleh was buried in the early hours of Monday in his hometown Marea, members of Liwa al-Tawhid told Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television.
Liwa al-Tawhid is thought to have more than 10,000 fighters, making it the biggest opposition force in Aleppo.
It is an Islamist group which has given its allegiance to the Western- and Gulf-backed rebel Supreme Military Command.
But it also collaborates closely with more radical Islamist groups in operations against regime forces, and joined them in a September statement rejecting the opposition National Coalition and calling for a unified Islamic leadership.
Saleh's death came at a time when forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have made significant advances near Aleppo.
In the capital Damascus, activists said a Sunday bombing of a regime military headquarter in Harasta on the outskirts of the city had killed 31 government troops including four senior officers.
Meanwhile, a Syrian delegation headed by al-Assad's adviser Buthaina Shaaban and Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad were in Moscow to meet senior Russian officials, Syrian state media reported.