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50 militants killed in fresh militiant infighting near Sryia's Damascus

Tuesday, 17 May 2016 5:57 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 17 May 2016 5:57 PM ]

Militants from Jaish al-Islam prepare their ammunition on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, on January 23, 2016. ©AFP

At least 50 foreign-backed militants have been killed during a fresh wave of infighting between Takfiri groups over the control of an area near the Syrian capital, Damascus.

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the latest casualties were caused after the Saudi-backed Jaish al-Islam militant group clashed with the Faylaq al-Rahman group, which is led by al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, in Eastern Ghouta region.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman also confirmed the latest killings have brought to more than 500 the number of people killed in the ongoing militant infighting since late April.

The initial fighting began more than two weeks ago when Jaish al-Islam’s positions came under attack by the rival militant groups in the volatile region. Faylaq al-Rahman is being backed in the fierce fighting by al-Nusra-affiliated militant group known as the Fustat Army.

On Monday, Jaish al-Islam in a statement accused Failaq al-Rahman of rejecting an initiative tabled by Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) coordinator Riad Hijab on the conflict in Syria.

In December last year, Jaish al-Islam suffered a blow when its leader, Zahran Alloush, was killed in a Russian air strike in the area.

Militants from Jaish al-Islam hold a position in the town of Douma, on the eastern edges of the capital, on April 10, 2016. ©AFP

Jaish al-Islam is the dominant Takfiri group in Eastern Ghouta. One of the group’s leaders, Mohammad Alloush, is among the senior negotiators of the so-called opposition group at peace talks in Geneva.

Saudi Arabia has widely been blamed for the surge in the deadly militancy in Syria, supporting militants with funds, training and weapons.

Damascus has long been saying that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are funding and arming anti-Syria terrorist groups, including Takfiri Daesh terrorists.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict that has gripped Syria since March 2011. The conflict has also displaced over half of the Arab country’s pre-war population of about 23 million.

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