Syria

70 terrorist groups reject Syrian National Coalition

329680_militants-syriaSeventy foreign-backed terrorist groups in Syria have announced their separation from the so-called Syrian National Coalition (SNC) opposition group.

The announcement came in an online video released on Wednesday.

“Having seen the failure of the political groups that claim to represent the opposition and the revolutionary groups… we leaders of the military … groups in the southern provinces withdraw our recognition from any political group that claims to represent us,” said a spokesman for the militants fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad in the video.

In late September, thirty foreign-backed militant groups in Syria separated from the so-called SNC opposition group, and so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA).

A recent British defense study shows that about 100,000 foreign-backed militants, fragmented into 1,000 groups, are fighting in Syria against the government and people.

The study conducted by defense consultancy IHS Jane’s estimates that some 10,000 militants are fighting for groups affiliated with al-Qaeda such as al-Nusra Front and the rest fight for different militant groups.

The analysis also showed that a large number of extremists from foreign countries are also active in Syria.

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.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million others displaced due to the violence.

On October 7, the UN said that over four million other Syrians will be forced out of their homes in 2014 by the escalating conflict in the country.

Two million Syrians are expected to take refuge outside the country while another 2.25 million are predicted to be internally displaced in the next year.

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