Beirut: Syrian rebels battled militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) near Damascus on Monday, pressing their bid to expel them from their strongholds, a monitoring group said.
Rebels holding positions in southern Damascus and the outskirts of the capital and seeking President Bashar Al Assad’s ouster, launched an offensive some three weeks ago to expel Isil.
Isil was initially welcomed by some rebels as a potential ally in the armed revolt, but the opposition, including Islamists, have since turned against the group.
Isil fighters have in recent days been expelled from the towns of Mesraba and Maydaa, in the Eastern Ghouta area east of Damascus. They have also been forced out of Yalda and Beit Sahem, in the capital, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The expelled militants have fled to Al Hajar Al Aswad, Tadamon and Qadam in southern Damascus, “where they have a strong presence”, said Observatory director Rami Abdul Rahman.
Then, at dawn on Monday, fighting broke out in the battered neighbourhoods of Al Hajar Al Aswad and Qadam, pitting rebels against Isil militants, Abdul Rahman told AFP.
A rebel spokesperson in Damascus province confirmed the reports.
“There were many reasons for the battle against Isil, first among them its abuses. They were going into the [rebel] Army of Islam’s bases and those of other opposition fighters, and killing fighters in their sleep,” said Captain Abdul Rahman Al Shami, a spokesperson for the Army of Islam.
“For us, there was no choice but to fight Isil. It was in self-defence. We are in a suffocating [regime] siege. We are fighting the regime, while Isil is shooting us in the back,” Al Shami said.
“Now, they no longer have any official bases in Eastern Ghouta. But we are chasing the remnants of Isil... Overall, Isil no longer has a strong presence in the Damascus area,” he told AFP via the internet.
Isil controls much of eastern Syria, and it has its main stronghold in Raqa, in the north of the war-torn country.
Rebels seeking Al Assad’s ouster launched a major offensive against the Isil in January, expelling them from Idlib province in the northwest, as well as much of Aleppo.