The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Sunday that that the ISIL elements had "forced out" some 30,000 people in the town of Shheil after seizing it on Thursday from the rival al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group al-Nusra Front.

Another 30,000 residents have been forced from their homes in the towns of Khasham and Tabieh Jazeera, also in eastern Deir al-Zor province, said the Western-backed, anti-Damascus group.

"Some 30,000 residents of the town of Shheil, the former stronghold of Nusra Front, have been forced out by the Islamic State (ISIL)," the group stated.

Although both ISIL and al-Nusra Front share a similar Wahhabi ideology, the two radical groups have regularly clashed, with al-Nusra joining a coalition of armed insurgent groups fighting the ISIL.

Wahhabism is a deviant and very radical interpretation of Islam and the official “religion” promoted by the Saudi Arabian Kingdom. Wahhabis are totally intolerant of different views and faiths, whether other Muslim sects or any different religions.

ISIL has occupied large swaths of territory in Syria and neighboring Iraq, claiming the land it holds to be an “Islamic caliphate," and its leader the ruler of all Muslims.

Meanwhile, a video distributed by activists on YouTube purportedly shows mediators announcing the terms of the expulsion, saying residents are required to hand over weapons and remain out of Shheil "until (ISIS) feels it is safe."

Activists said residents feared ISIL terrorists planned to loot their homes, and the Observatory said the large displacement had left thousands sleeping in the open, with food and water shortages.

Elsewhere in the region, the group said negotiations were underway over the fate of some 83,000 people living in three towns in Deir al-Zor after ISIL advances in the surrounding area.

MB/MB