Al-Qaeda militants turn gun on FSA in Syria

Al-Qaeda's active branch in Syria attacked a group of its former partners from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants in Bani Zaid area in Northwestern Syria. The attack was carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group in Bani Zaid area in Aleppo on Saturday despite FSA’s earlier warnings against any possible attacks on its militants. Meanwhile Syrian army soldiers made considerable gains in Aleppo which is main bastion of Saudi-backed militant groups fighting to topple the Syrian government, Al-Alam reported. Following a series of strategic operations, Syrian army took full control of strategic town of Safira, Southeast of Aleppo, inflicting heavy losses on the Ahrar al-Sham militants and the ISIL. Syrian Army also foiled an attack by the ISIL militants on Aleppo Central Prison. The ISIL militants had been planning to launch an attack on the prison via tunnels to free their partners. Many parts of Aleppo have been under siege imposed by militant groups for more than a year. Several people are reported to have been starved to death due to shortage of food and humanitarian supplies. The war in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following intervention of western and regional states. According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.