Zahran Alloush

The killing of Syrian rebel chief Zahran Alloush, fiercely opposed to both the regime and the ISIS, has eliminated a key bulwark against the jihadists and could derail UN-brokered peace talks, analysts say.

The United Nations said on Saturday it aims to bring together Syria's warring parties on January 25 in Geneva to begin talks to try to end nearly five years of civil war.

A UN-brokered deal to evacuate more than 2,000 Islamic State fighters and other militants from rebel-held suburbs of Damascus on Saturday has been delayed after the killing of an insurgent leader, an organisation that monitors the Syrian war said.

Powerful Syrian rebel chief Zahran Alloush was killed in a regime air strike east of Damascus on Friday, dealing blows to both the nearly five-year uprising and a fragile peace process.

Zahran Alloush, head of the powerful Jaish al-Islam Syrian rebel group, was killed on Friday east of Damascus, a monitoring group and Syria's opposition said.

The killing of Syrian rebel chief Zahran Alloush, fiercely opposed to both the regime and the ISIS, has eliminated a key bulwark against the jihadists and could derail UN-brokered peace talks, analysts say.

The United Nations said on Saturday it aims to bring together Syria's warring parties on January 25 in Geneva to begin talks to try to end nearly five years of civil war.

A UN-brokered deal to evacuate more than 2,000 Islamic State fighters and other militants from rebel-held suburbs of Damascus on Saturday has been delayed after the killing of an insurgent leader, an organisation that monitors the Syrian war said.

Powerful Syrian rebel chief Zahran Alloush was killed in a regime air strike east of Damascus on Friday, dealing blows to both the nearly five-year uprising and a fragile peace process.

Zahran Alloush, head of the powerful Jaish al-Islam Syrian rebel group, was killed on Friday east of Damascus, a monitoring group and Syria's opposition said.