U.S. military forces killed an al Qaeda affiliate leader linked to an Islamic State attack on Americans in Syria last month, U.S. Central Command said.

Government troops drew closer to Raqqa, the largest city overseen by the Kurds, raising U.S. concerns about the renewal of a wider conflict in the region.

Sharaa's decree came after fierce ​clashes that broke out last week in the northern city ​of Aleppo, ⁠leaving at least 23 people dead, according to Syria's health ministry, and forced more than 150,000 to flee the two Kurdish-run pockets of the city.