Over 28 Syrian rebel leaders killed by powerful blast

At least 28 Syrian rebel leaders of a same group were killed on Tuesday when a powerful blast targeted their gathering place in the northwestern province of Idlib, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The slain rebels were leaders of the Ahrar al-Sham militant group. A booby-trapped car ripped through their meeting place in the town of Ram Hamdan in the countryside of Idlib, the report said.

Other reports said the main leader of Ahrar al-Sham, Hassan Aboud, who also goes by the nom de guerre of Abu Abdullah al-Hamwi, was also killed in the deadly blast.

The opposition activists have so far stopped short of identifying the party behind the blast, even though it’s likely part of the rebel-on-rebel infighting that has raged in recent months of the crisis.