ISIL executes 100 rival militants in Syria: Opp. source

Militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have reportedly executed dozens of rival militants in their ongoing infighting in Syria.

On Sunday, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the executions occurred during the past two days in Syria’s northeastern province of Raqqah.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of the London-based Observatory said over 100 militants from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and the Ahrar al-Sham Brigade were executed during the infighting.

“About 70 bodies, most shot in the head, were collected and sent to the Raqqa National hospital,” the member of the group said, adding that, “Many of those executed had been wounded in the fighting.”

This comes as ISIL has managed to seize control of most of Raqqah, which has been its stronghold for months.

Fighting among different foreign-backed insurgent groups spread across northern Syria over the past week.

The so-called Syrian Observatory has said that at least 700 people, including civilians, were killed during nine days of infighting among the foreign-sponsored militants in Syria.

According to extracts from a study by British defense consultancy IHS Jane’s published in the Daily Telegraph, some 100,000 militants are operating in Syria.

The militants have split into some 1,000 brands since the crisis began in Syria, according to the study, which is based on intelligence estimates and interviews with militants.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly conflict 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.