ISIL, armed groups battle in Rural Idlib, 13 killed

Thirteen militants of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Levant organization were killed Monday during battles with other opposition armed groups in Idlib countryside. The opposition UK-based Syrian observatory indicated that among the killed was a local Libyan 'emir', who was killed during violent clashes with gunmen in the vicinity of Hazano town, several kilometers away from the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, Al-Manar reported. Another seven people of a local armed group were also killed in the clash which took place after Al-Qaeda terrorist organization members tried to arrest two persons of the town residents. Earlier, ISIL gunmen seized the headquarters of Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra terrorist group in the Shaddadi area in Hasakah countryside North-East of the country. Moreover in Azaz, situation is still unstable after recent clashes between the ISIL militiamen and Storm of North Brigade of the so-called free Syrian army. The free army accused the ISIL of violating the cease-fire agreement by abstaining from releasing many of the detainees. Recently, fierce clashes erupted between the ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and the free army in the wake of disputes on power and control sharing over areas not reclaimed so far by the Syrian army. The Syrian national military launched a wide-scale military operation in May 2013 in the country's main provinces to restore security and release citizens from terrorist threats. Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.