180 fighters killed in clashes between Jund al-Aqsa

Local reports from Idlib in syria said that the Jund al-Aqsa group had allegedly captured 180 fighters, affiliating to former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham, in the town of Khan Sheikhun, with no information about the fate of those fighters.
Fateh al-Sham is fighting alongside several allied groups in a coalition dubbed Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, and the clashes have spread beyond Idlib to neighbouring Hama province.
The deaths were only confirmed on Friday amid fierce fighting between the militant factions, since Monday, after tensions erupted between them over influence in the rebel-held province of Idlib.
The reports said the clashes had killed 125 fighters from both sides, including the 41 executed by Jund al-Aqsa.
The fighting reflects the increasingly strained relations between different factions in Idlib province that once fought alongside each other against President Bashar al-Assad´s forces.
The war has become a complex multi-front conflict, drawing in militant groups and international armies.
Hundreds of opposition fighters have been killed in recent weeks as various jihadist groups continue to slaughter each other in an ongoing bloodbath across Idlib province.
On Wednesday afternoon, the newly formed Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham seized the village of Heish in southern Idlib after Jund al-Aqsa militants retreated to the nearby towns of Khan Sheikhun (Khan Shaykhoun) and Morek in a last-ditch effort to hold their ground against hostile Fatah al-Sham rebel factions that now control all neighbouring villages.
Meanwhile, rumours suggest Jund al-Aqsa may accept a deal which would have them leave for Raqqa and effectively join ISIS. This was alleged by Tahrir al-Sham in an online statement on Wednesday. However, how this could be substantiated remains to be seen.
Jund al-Aqsa is still loosely tied to al-Qaeda while Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, one of several jihadist groups that founded Tahrir al-Sham last month, broke off its ties with Al-Qaeda in July2016 allegedly to gain financial support from Gulf States

source : gulfnews