• published: 13 Sep 2013
• views: 374

Al Qaeda-linked militants in Syria have declared an offensive against two other militant groups amid growing infighting among foreign-backed militants operating in the country. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has accused the Farouq and Nasr Battalions of attacking its forces and suggested they may have even collaborated with the Syrian government, Reuters news agency reported. "ISIL in the eastern district of Aleppo announces the launch of the military offensive 'Cleansing Evil'," the group said in a statement on Thursday posted online. "We will target regime collaborators, shabbiha (pro-regime militias), and those who blatantly attacked the Islamic State - in particular, the Farouq and Nasr Battalions. Their cowardly involvement and incitement has been proven," the statement added. According to the statement, the two militant groups had collaborated with the Syrian army in an attack that killed two of ISIL's leaders. Al-Qaeda-linked groups, including ISIL and al-Nusra Front, have fought deadly battles with other militant groups operating in Syria several times since the beginning of the unrest in the Arab country more than two years ago. Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the violence. ========================================­­==== ********* == COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER == ********* ========================================­­==== "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use." § 107.Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phono-records or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include — (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/video may contain copyrighted (© ) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, economic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes.