IS leader killed in Syria by rival group: monitor

DAMASCUS, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi was killed in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib by a rival rebel group, a war monitor reported on Friday.

Al-Quraishi was killed during clashes near a refugee camp in the village of Atama in northern Idlib, which is a few kilometers away from the town of Jindires in Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Both areas are under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), previously known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

The UK-based watchdog group didn't specify when the killing took place, but it cited a recording by the IS spokesperson as saying that the HTS is behind the killing of al-Quraishi and that it happened last month.

Following his assassination, IS named Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as his replacement.