Syria has been engulfed in civil war since March 2011 . Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri exhorted his fighters to find out who killed his chief representative in war-torn Syria , where militants have had a strong presence and strong rivalries amid the country 's civil war . The conflict began with peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad and escalated into a full-scale uprising that is now estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people. The al Qaeda leader emerged to deplore the killing of his top representative in Syria .
Syria has been engulfed in civil war since March 2011 . The conflict began with peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad and escalated into a full-scale uprising that is now estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people. The al Qaeda leader emerged to deplore the killing of his top representative in Syria .