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Syria: Islamist factions fight each other in Idlib, Syrian army advances

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Al-Nusra Front fighters stand among destroyed buildings near the front line in Yarmuk Photo: AFP/Getty

Al Masdar News reports:

The conglomerate Islamist factions in northern Syria “Jaysh Al-Fateh” (Army of Conquest) is experiencing its first taste of infighting, as both Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham (largest Jaysh Al-Fateh faction) and the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jund Al-Aqsa” (Jabhat Al-Nusra offshoot) combat one another inside the city of Al-Tamaneh in the Idlib Governorate’s southern countryside.

Jund Al-Aqsa reportedly left Jaysh Al-Fateh last week after the group announced their willingness to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) inside Syria; however, according to Islamist social media activists, the Al-Qaeda linked faction rejoined the group following Jabhat Al-Nusra’s facilitation to end the disagreements.

Tensions have reportedly resurfaced after Jund Al-Aqsa and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham members were confined to the city of Al-Tamaneh, where they were both tasked with the duty of protecting the area from the encroaching soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF).

While the Syrian Armed Forces have continued to bombard Al-Tamaneh from their fortifications in Sukayk, they have backed-off in the recent days in order to allow for the Russian Air Force to carry out their relentless airstrikes over the Islamist rebel positions.

There have been no reports of a ceasefire between the Islamist rebel factions; however, they are likely to stop the infighting once their fellow allies inside Jaysh Al-Fateh get involved.

Video of Al-Nusra militants in Ariha, the capital of the Idlib province, after taking the city from government forces in May 2015:

Al Masdar News further reports:

Breaking: Syrian Army and Hezbollah Capture Al-Sufayrah in Southern Aleppo

Russian Choppers Execute Several Raids in Northern Homs to Help the Syrian Army Advance

Russian Air Force Destroys the FSA Command in Latakia as the Syrian Army Storms Salma

The SAA, local pro-government militia fighters and civilians celebrate advancing upon the gates of Eastern Ghouta in Damascus.


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Filed under: conflict zones, latest