A top commander of the militant group formerly known as al-Nusra Front has been killed in an airstrike near the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo, rebel sources have said.<br /><br /> The targeting of Abu Omar Sarakeb of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham group comes amid further fierce fighting in the embattled northern Syrian city and its surrounding areas. <br /><br /> On Thursday pro-regime forces reportedly made big gains in Ramousah district, further sealing off Aleppo’s opposition-held eastern neighbourhoods. <br /><br /> Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to find a lasting truce in Syria’s complex civil war have so far proved fruitless. <br /><br /> US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had initially delayed his departure to Switzerland, is due to hold talks with his Russia counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva later on Friday. <br /><br /> It is believed the latest deal on the table between Washington and Moscow aims, among other things, to broker a lasting ceasefire around Aleppo, while also allowing humanitarian access to conflict-hit areas. <br /><br /> The two-sides are also said to be discussing joint US-Russian airstrikes against groups both countries designate as terrorist.<br />
