Abu Khalid al-Souri, who was appointed last year by al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-
Zawahiri... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as
the real brains of the outfit.Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is...
as his representative, died in the northern city of Aleppo, said the group.
The Islamic Front is the biggest rebel alliance in Syria, and it has been locked in battle with the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original...
(ISIL).
Al-Souri was a commander of Ahrar al-Sham movement, one of the main rebel groups in the Islamic Front alliance.
His death in a suicide kaboom in al-Halq area of Aleppo was also confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and on jihadist websites.
Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said he died along with six comrades when a jihadist from the rival ISIL group went
kaboom!at an Ahrar al-Sham post in al-Halq.
Al-Souri fought in Afghanistan and Iraq and "was known to be close to the late Osama bin Laden
... who is no longer with us, and won't be again...
," the al-Qaeda founder who was killed by U.S. troops in Pakistain in 2011.
Jihadist websites also described Suri as a "travelling companion of Sheikh al-Zawahiri" and "among the companions of Sheikh Osama bin Laden."
Last year, Zawahiri ruled that ISIL and al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front, should operate as separate entities after the head of ISIL announced a merger of the two groups.
At the time Zawahiri appointed al-Souri as his representative in Syria to arbitrate on any issues resulting from the cancellation of the merger of the two factions.
ISIL, which grew from al-Qaeda's onetime Iraqi affiliate, is facing a widespread backlash from an array of rebel brigades angered by its abuses against civilians and rival opposition fighters.
The group has ignored Zawahiri's orders to return to Iraq.
Earlier this month, al-Qaeda cemented its split with ISIL as infighting between the rebels increased.
"Al-Qaeda announces it is not linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as it was not informed of its creation... (and) did not accept it," a statement said.
ISIL "is not a branch of al-Qaeda, has no links to it, and the (al-Qaeda) group is not responsible for its acts."