The Syrian army on Tuesday killed a senior leader from the Islamic State militant group in northern Aleppo province who was formerly an Al-Qaeda commander, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.
The death of Adnan al-Atawi known as Abu Salim al-Tabouki, was confirmed by an IS fighter who had been under his command, after Atawi's body was retrieved from the battlefront near Kuweires Military Airport, Fars said.
Atawi joined IS after defecting from the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front and reportedly took part in many of the terror network's foreign operations including in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
In 2011, Atawi was arrested by the Saudi authorities for his Al-Qaeda connections and sent to the Al-Salouliyah Prison but was released the following year for unknown reasons, Fars reported.
Al-Atawi had visited his family in Saudi Arabia several times over the last two years, Fars aid.
Pro-government and rebel forces are locked in a fierce battle for control of the strategic Kurweires airbase southeast of Aleppo which has been under siege for two years.
