The group linked to al-Qaeda “phoned me saying that they killed Abu Bassir and that they will kill all” of the commanding members of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), Qassem Saadeddine said on Friday.

Kamal Hamami, also known as Abu Basir al-Ladkani, was shot dead following a meeting with the al-Qaeda militants in the Syrian port city of Latakia on Thursday.

Hamami had traveled to the city to meet members of the rival group "to discuss battle plans."

Hamami’s death signals a widening rift between members of foreign-backed militants who are fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

On June 5, dozens of militants were killed and wounded as violent infighting broke out between several Takfiri groups in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, according to the locals.

The conflict in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government has boosted its political and military support to Takfiri extremists.

Washington has remained indifferent about warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups.

SHI/SHI