Al-Nusra Spokesman Reported Killed In Syria Air Strike

The spokesman for the Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, and about 20 other militants have been killed in air strikes in northeastern Syria, a Syrian monitoring group says.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on April 3 that spokesman Abu Firas al-Suri,his son, and about 20 fighters -- including many from Uzbekistan -- were killed during the attacks in Idlib Province.

It is not clear if the air strikes were carried out by the Syrian government or the Russian military.

Abu Firas was a popular leader and a founding member of Al-Nusra, having fought in Afghanistan in the 1980s. He also worked with former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The Uzbeks were allegedly members of the Jund al Aqasa group.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters