New Takfiri alliance declares war on al-Qaeda in Syria

New Takfiri alliance declares war on al-Qaeda in Syria
Sat Jan 4, 2014 16:14:19

A new militant alliance in Syria has declared war on al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the new alliance said in a statement.

In the statement which published on Facebook on Friday, the new alliance called the Army of the Mujahideen pledged to fight ISIL “until it announces its dissolution.”

According to local sources Mujahideen is militant group sharing Takfiri ideology, same as al-Qaeda, but they have different interests in their war on Syria.

The alliance called on ISIL militants either join the ranks of other militant groups or lay their weapons down and leave Syria.

The alliance accused ISIL of spreading strife and insecurity among the militants fighting in a deadly insurgency for toppling the Syrian government.

The Army of Mujahideen also accused ISIL of theft and looting, and of "kidnapping, killing and torturing (rebel) commanders and activists."

Syrian opposition has been struggling with internal disputes, some of them deadly, during the recent months.

The opposition which initially welcomed all kinds of militant groups, many of them with extremist ideologies, to join their war on Syrian government, is now trying to distance itself from at least one of the main groups which has been involved in killing of many civilians and Syrian army personnel.

The ISIL first joined the Syria war as the main representative of al-Qaeda, pledging loyalty to al-Qaeda leader Aymen al-Zawahiri, but early November 2013 The Qatari news channel al-Jazeera reported that Zawahiri has disbanded ISIL and chosen al-Nusra Front, another terrorist group fighting against Syria, as its representative.

The newly formed group is made up of eight small to medium-sized brigades, and it was not immediately clear how many fighters it commanded.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011, when foreign-backed terrorists hijacked pro-reform protests of Syrian nation.

According to reports, Western powers and their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants operating inside the country.

RA/SHI

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