Posted on 05/04/2014 8:10:19 AM PDT by Corporate Democrat
BEIRUT - Heavy fighting between rival Islamic rebel groups in eastern Syria killed 62 fighters and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes, activists said Sunday.
Meanwhile, talks continued over allowing rebels to leave the besieged Old City in Homs.
Rebels from the al-Qaida breakaway group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and fighters of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front have fought each other for months over territory they previously captured together from President Bashar Assad's forces.
The rebel-on-rebel violence has raged in the north along the Turkish border that opposition fighters have controlled since a mid-2012 offensive. Earlier this year, it spread to Syria's east, home to most of the country's oil fields.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebel infighting Sunday took place around three villages in the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province near the Iraqi border. In the past four days 62 rebels have been killed there, The Observatory said.
The rebel infighting has forced tens of thousands to flee the contested villages of Abreeha, Bseera and Sabha, The Observatory said. It gathers information through a network of activists on the ground.
Syria's conflict, which began with largely peaceful protests in March 2011, has evolved into a civil war with sectarian overtones that activists say has killed more than 150,000 people. Islamic extremists, including foreign fighters and Syrian rebels who have taken up hard-line al-Qaida-style ideologies, have played an increasingly prominent role, dampening the West's support for the rebellion to overthrow Assad.
That has led to a backlash by Islamic brigades and more moderate rebels who launched a war against the al-Qaida breakaway group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Fighting between opposing rebel groups has killed more than 3,000 people since the beginning of the year, activists say.
(Excerpt) Read more at thespec.com ...
ISIL is even using suicide bombers now to kill veteran al-Qaeda/Nusra leaders and their men by the dozens. In one incident, ISIL fighters killed a prominent al-Qaeda leader, Abu Mohammed al-Ansari, and subsequently butchered his entire family including his wife and children.
As of March 11, 2014. They've retreated from Western Syria since then.
Nusra's leader, al-Jolani says that al-Qaeda in Syria may actually go into Iraq to fight ISIS, if they keep intruding on rival jihadist's territory.
Nusra's flag:
As long as they are killing each other I have no problem making sure each side has plenty of ammo.
No doubt killed in part by Obama smuggled weapons.
If ANYONE EVER needed proof Islam is evil, Mohammad was a servant of Satan and Muslims are insane, this is it.
Hope they exterminate each other in Syria and everywhere else they exist.
This is what happens when guys can’t get a wife. We need to send them some Russian mail order brides. That will calm things down.
Win, win.
I love happy endings.
Peoples Front of Judea vs The Judean Peoples Front.
Kill them all. Let God sort them out.
Whatever you do, don’t say `AllahuFubar”.
You said it! Admit it.
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Good shooting, moozlums.
Ayman al Zawahiri told those boys to quit fighting each other. Which one of these groups are McCain’s boys?
Genius! 0bama really is the most brilliant president ever.
In a country run by sane people we would be fomenting this sectarian violence.
“Heavy fighting between rival Islamic rebel groups”!
Ahhhh like music to my ears.
Yes..Islam is a huge satanic cult of hatred and violence.
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