New Syrian rebel alliance declares war on powerful Al-Qaeda

A newly
formed Syrian rebel alliance has declared war on
the powerful Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant and joined other opposition
groups in battling the extremists.
"We, the Army of the Mujahedeen, pledge to
defend ourselves and our honour, wealth and lands,
and to fight ISIL, which has violated the rule of God,
until it announces its dissolution," the alliance of
eight groups said Friday on Facebook.
The alliance demanded that ISIL fighters either join
the ranks of other rebel groups "or hand over their
weapons and leave Syria".
It accused ISIL of "spreading strife and insecurity…
in liberated (rebel) areas, spilling the blood of
fighters and wrongly accusing them of heresy, and
expelling them and their families from areas they
have paid heavily to free" from President Bashar al-
Assad's regime.
The Army of Mujahedeen also accused ISIL of theft
and looting, and of "kidnapping, killing and
torturing (rebel) commanders and activists,"
echoing repeated complaints among opposition
ranks against the Al-Qaeda affiliate.
The newly formed group is made up of eight small
to medium-sized brigades, and it was not
immediately clear how many fighters it
commanded.
But as the statement was issued it fought fierce
clashes against ISIL in the Aleppo and Idlib
provinces of northern Syria.
As the battles raged, supporters of ISIL accused the
Army of Mujahedeen and others fighting them of
working as "mercenaries" and " collaborators" with
the West, Al-Qaeda's nemesis.
The group faced accusations it was acting as
Syria's sahwa or "awakening councils," reminiscent
of tribal groups funded by the United States to
fight the insurgency in Iraq.
Syria's rebels, mistrustful of the West, have been
adamant to avoid being labelled as sahwa
movements — a term that has come to mean
traitor after the Iraq war.
In a second statement issued Saturday, the Army
of Mujahedeen said it rejected claims by ISIL
supporters it was acting like "the sahwa of the
Levant".
It reiterated its call on ISIL fighters "to defect and
to join your honest brothers, who are fighting
Assad across Syria".
The Islamic Front, the largest rebel alliance made
up of powerful Islamist groups, and the Syrian
Revolutionaries Front, another major rebel bloc,
were also battling the extremists on Friday and
Saturday.
The main opposition National Coalition and
activists on the ground have accused ISIL of serving
the interests of Assad's regime by tarnishing the
image of the uprising, which began as a popular
movement calling for democratic reform.
Assad's regime has long referred to all of its
opponents — peaceful activists and rebels alike —
as "terrorists" in a bid to deter more forceful
Western intervention in the conflict.

Sent From David Aniemeka