Al-Qaeda Syria branch executes dozens of rival Islamists activists

The Islamist State of Iraq and the Levant killed dozens of rival Islamist rebels in Syria over the last couple of days as the Al-Qaeda-linked group regained most of the territory it lost in the Northeastern Raqqa province. Up to 100 rebel fighters from the Nusra Front, another Al-Qaeda-linked group, and Ahrar al-Sham brigade were executed after being captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the town of Tel Abiad, on the border with Turkey, activists said. "About 70 bodies, most shot in the head, were collected and sent to the Raqqa National hospital," an unnamed activist said. "Many of those executed had been wounded in the fighting. The fact that Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham are ideologically similar to the ISIL did not matter.” The in-fighting between rebel groups and ISIL intensified over the past week. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated on Saturday that at least 482 people were killed since the fighting between rival rebel factions versus ISIL intensified on January 3. According to opposition sources, Nusra Front's commander for Raqqa province Abu Saad al-Hadram was among the militants killed over the weekend. Activists said that the ISIL was able to recapture much of its stronghold in Raqqa with its offensive. Also, they gained back control over Tel Abyad, a town on the border with Turkey, over the weekend. A member of the opposition Syrian National Coalition from Raqqa, Abdallah Farraj, believes that rebels will have a hard time getting rid of ISIL’s control over Raqqa. On top of that, groups like Ahrar al-Sham are choosing not to fight ISIL, as they have relatives inside the militant group. "Many did not see a point in fighting their own relatives. ISIL is now in control of 95 percent of Raqqa and its rural environs. Tel Abyad is also back with it," he said. In the meantime, 29 terrorists have been killed by the government forces in the Damascus countryside, SANA reported Sunday. Also, the army carried out other offensives in Madaya, Yabroud, Adra al-Balad, and Joubar.