No al-Qaeda militants left in Aleppo: Syria opposition
Iran Press TV
Thu Jan 9, 2014 4:32PM GMT
Syrian opposition sources say that "hardly any" militants from the al-Qaeda-linked group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, are left in the northern city of Aleppo.
The UK-based Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that the ISIL militants "withdrew from the Inzarat area" after clashes with militants from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other militant groups.
'There are hardly any ISIL members left in the city of Aleppo,' it added
The observatory said that the FSA had earlier seized the ISIL headquarters in Qadi Askar district in Aleppo.
The bodies of at least 42 people executed by the ISIL militants were reportedly found at the base.
Some reports also indicated that the ISIL took the upper hand against the FSA in the city of Raqqah. Reports also said that the al-Qaeda-linked militants are in control of several key positions in the city.
The recent tension among militant groups fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been the deadliest since the conflict began in the Middle Eastern country nearly three years ago.
A large number of people, including civilians, have been killed during the infighting.
The clashes have been mostly centered in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. However, opposition sources say the fighting has now spread to the east.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011.
According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies--namely Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey--are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
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