"A special operation by the Russian Defense Ministry destroyed the command of the international terrorist group al-Nusra in Syria," said Major General Igor Konashenkov, a representative of the Russian Defense Ministry.
According to some independent sources, the group's leader Abu Muhammad al-Juliani has been left with a stonecut and is in critical condition.
Major General Konashenkov added that the Russian Air Force had killed 12 commanders of the al-Nusra Front, including al-Juliani's most effective assistant, Ahmad al-Gizai, the security leader of the al-Nusra group.