Takfiri militants clash with forces of Free Syrian Army
Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:1PM
Foreign-backed militants in Syria (file photo)
The fighting was the most severe since tensions rose between militant factions in Syria earlier this year.
Al-Qaeda-linked militants have clashed with members of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the town of Azaz near Syria’s border with Turkey.
After fighting with FSA forces on Wednesday, Takfiri militants overran the northwestern town, a former commercial and industrial hub located five kilometers (two miles) from the border.
The fighting was the most severe since tensions rose between militant factions in Syria earlier this year.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
In a recent statement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said the number of Syrian refugees, who have fled the country’s 29-month-long conflict, reached two million.
The UN refugee agency also said some 4.2 million people have also been displaced inside Syria since the beginning of the conflict in the Arab country.
NT/AS/MHB