The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Al-Qaida Disavows ISIL in Syria

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Al-Qaida has announced it is severing ties with a militant group fighting in Syria.

Al-Qaida said in a statement Monday that it is cutting off the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.

The authenticity of the statement could not be verified independently, but it was posted on websites frequently used by al-Qaida.

Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered ISIL last year to operate independently from the Nusra Front, another al-Qaida-linked jihadist group in Syria.

The ISIL ignored Zawahiri’s directive and continued operations is Syria.

Some rebel groups in Syria accuse the ISIL of trying to consolidate power rather than fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. ISIL jihadists have often clashed with Syrian rebel groups.

The ISIL has also been known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

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