Airstrikes ‘injured al-qaeda leader’

Russian officials said air strikes their forces carried out in Syria this week have critically wounded the leader of an al-qaedalinked group and killed 12 other militant commanders.

There was no immediate comment from fellow militants or other Syria monitors on the fate of Abu Mohammed al-golani, the leader of the al-qaedalinked Levant Liberation Committee.

Russia has been waging an air campaign in support of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s forces since 2015, helping them to make major advances against the Islamic State group (IS), alqaeda-linked insurgents and mainstream rebels.

Syrian troops are currently closing in on the eastern city of Mayadeen, which is one of the last major IS strongholds in the country.