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ISIL Deploys in Syria Border Town
[AnNahar] Jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... bolstered their presence Thursday in the Syrian town of Albu Kamal on the border with Iraq, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the move came a day after members in the town of al-Qaeda's franchise in Syria, Al-Nusra Front, pledged loyalty to ISIL, giving it control over both sides of the frontier. ISIL, which aspires to create an Islamic state that straddles Iraq and Syria, has spearheaded a lightning jihadist offensive that has already captured swathes of territory north and west of Storied Baghdad. Pro-ISIL snuffies posted videos on YouTube showing a convoy of cars and trucks entering Albu Kamal and flying the jihadists' black flag. Other supporters announced the reinforcement on Twitter, with one saying: "ISIL convoys enter Albu Kamal after conquering it, thanks to Allah." A statement from Al-Nusra released in the town said the al-Qaeda franchise pledged loyalty to ISIL in Albu Kamal to prevent bloodshed between the two rival jihadist groups. Albu Kamal is located in Syria's oil-rich eastern province of Deir Ezzor, where ISIL and Al-Nusra, who have been fighting to topple the Syrian regime, have also been fighting each other since January. Romain Caillet, an expert on Islamists groups, said Al-Nusra fighters pledged allegiance to ISIL in the border town because "it is powerful, they fear it and they have been weakened on the ground". Posted by: trailing wife 2014-06-27 |
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