U.S. bombs Al Qaeda offshoot Khorasan for third time

The Khorasan group had been an obscure cell until US intelligence officials flagged it in September, days before dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from naval ships against the militants near Aleppo.

The White House has said the group includes Al-Qaeda operatives from Afghanistan and Pakistan who made their way to Syria.

Independent experts and Syrian activists have questioned how the group has been portrayed by Washington, and have cast doubt on the distinction between Khorasan and the Al-Nusra Front.

Most rebel groups in Syria have been willing to cooperate with Al-Nusra despite its allegiance to Al-Qaeda.