Islamic State seizes Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus

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yarmouk campIslamic State fighters seized most of a vast camp for Palestinian refugees on the outskirts of Damascus from other insurgents on Wednesday in a bid to capture a major foothold close to President Bashar al-Assad’s seat of power.

In a separate advance, rebel groups that have received backing from Assad’s Arab and Western foes captured a border crossing with Jordan, the first time Damascus has lost it since the start of the conflict, sources on both sides said.

The gains by groups at opposite ends of the insurgent spectrum show the pressures still facing Assad, who has sought to shore up his control over western Syria including the border zone with Jordan and Israel – the last notable foothold of the mainstream rebels who have largely been eclipsed by jihadists.

They come just days after an alliance of Islamist groups captured the northwestern city of Idlib from the government. The Nusra Front, al Qaeda’s wing in Syria and one of the groups involved, announced on Wednesday the city would be run according to sharia law.

The ultra-hardline Islamic State already controls swathes of eastern Syria and Iraq and is being targeted by a U.S.-led campaign of airstrikes.

Until Wednesday’s assault on the Yarmouk refugee camp, the group did not have a major presence in the area around the capital, where insurgents have mainly been loyal to other groups.

The Yarmouk refugee camp, which was home to half a million Palestinians before the conflict began in 2011, has been held by anti-Assad insurgents and besieged by government troops since the early days of the war. It is a few kilometers from the heart of Damascus, which is still firmly in government control.

Mirroring the way Islamic State has grown elsewhere in Syria, its fighters seized control of areas of the camp from other insurgents, helped by rebels from the rival al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front who switched sides, a political activist in the area said.

“They pushed from the Hajar Aswad area and Nusra fighters have joined them, they have pledged loyalty to Daesh (Islamic State),” the activist said, speaking via Skype.

Anwar Abdel Hadi, the Palestine Liberation Organisation representative in Damascus, said: “(Islamic State) went into Yarmouk today. There are clashes between the militants at the moment.”

The United Nations said it was extremely concerned about the safety and protection of Syrian and Palestinian civilians there. It estimates the population of Yarmouk at about 18,000, with most of its residents having long since fled.

Government officials could not be reached for comment.

Hassan Hassan, an analyst and author of a book about Islamic State, said the group had long wanted a foothold close to the capital but that it was unlikely to be able to storm the center.

“The regime has established strong checkpoints and infrastructure to prevent forces from actually getting inside Damascus. But they are edging closer.”

BORDER CROSSING

An alliance of mainstream rebel groups known as The Southern Front said it had captured the Nasib crossing at the border with Jordan. A staunch U.S. ally, Jordan had previously used its influence over the rebels to stop them from taking the crossing, fearing it could risk a military response from Damascus.

A security source on the government’s side confirmed the crossing had fallen, saying the army had withdrawn.

“It has been liberated,” said Bashar al Zoubi, leader of the Yarmouk Army, one of the rebel groups in southern Syria that was involved in the offensive. “The crossing is with us,” he added, in a message sent to Reuters via Internet.

The southern rebel groups have launched a counter offensive against a recent bid by Damascus and allied militia to reclaim the south, an area of vital strategic importance for reasons including its proximity to Israel.

The rebels say states that want to see Assad gone from power responded to the offensive by sending them more weapons.

The Nusra Front, which has a presence in the south, joined the attack on the crossing after the rebels had already launched it, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The rebels said they had expelled Nusra from the area.

Nusra Front shares Islamic State’s jihadist ideology but does not recognize its rival’s declaration last year of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as “caliph”, or ruler of all Muslims.

On Thursday Nusra Front declared that Idlib, which was seized from government forces on Saturday by a coalition of militant groups, would now be ruled according to sharia law.

“We salute the people of Idlib and their stand with their sons, the Mujahideen, … and God willing they will enjoy the justice of sharia, which will preserve their religion and their blood,” Nusra Front leader Abu Mohamad al-Golani said in an audio recording posted online.

Idlib, around 30 km (20 miles) from the Turkish border is only the second provincial capital to slip from government hands after Raqqa in the east, which Islamic State has turned into its de facto capital.

The groups that seized Idlib have rejected a call by the internationally recognized Turkey-based opposition to headquarter an interim government there. The Observatory said insurgents were destroying cigarettes and tobacco, which many Islamists view as banned in Islam.

The news agency of the Vatican’s missionary department reported on its website that a Greek Orthodox priest had been kidnapped by “jihadist militias” in the city.

Golani said Idlib residents would be treated well and public property would be protected. He urged employees of essential facilities including bakeries to go back to work and said an Islamic court should be set up to settle disputes.

Nusra Front’s influence has been expanding in northwestern Syria. It has crushed at least two Western-backed rebel groups in recent months and seized weapons including U.S.-made anti-tank weapons from them.

Reuters

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30 responses to “Islamic State seizes Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus”

  1. scum of the scum
    May Mahdi and Assad free the world from these monsters

    1. Ok whistleblower aka hind

  2. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    The vast majority of the people had already left the place anyway … and capturing a pile of rubble won’t bring them much income now. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Maybe they need a ‘last stand’ fort to hide in.

    1. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      20i2- “Syria here we come”
      ://albertawestnews.blogspot.ca/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-07:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-07:00&max-results=50ttp://albertawestnews.blogspot.ca/search?updat

  3. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    “…and God willing they will enjoy the justice of sharia, which will preserve their religion and their blood,โ€ … and if they don’t, we will kill them, which is also enjoyable.

    1. sweetvirgo Avatar
      sweetvirgo

      Well this is what most people wanted. I never liked Assad. He is a dictator just like his father. But look at Syria now. Most of it has been seized by terrorists. It will become just like Iraq.

      1. Anti ISIS Avatar
        Anti ISIS

        Hey Sweets, how are habibi. Hope you and yours are doing extremely well and in good health.

        1. sweetvirgo Avatar
          sweetvirgo

          Good morning sunshine! I’m well merci habibi. I hope you and your family are also in good health. Chou akhbar?

          1. Anti ISIS Avatar
            Anti ISIS

            Nothing much really. First day of School holidays and preparing my self for a massive head ache from my kids. Lol. Taking them away up the coast tomorrow for a week. How about yourself, hope your not working to hard.

          2. sweetvirgo Avatar
            sweetvirgo

            Sounds like fun. I hope you guys have a great time ;))

            Work is killing me. We can’t make any overtime and everything needs to be done right away :((

            Yalla what can we do….at least I’m employed :))

          3. Caribbean Avatar
            Caribbean

            stopped this crap,this is not the place for that.we discussing about our great leader Assad and the terrorists rats in Syria

          4. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Ok … screw your great leader. End of discussion…. Now back to Lebanese geniality.

          5. Anti ISIS Avatar
            Anti ISIS

            Which great leader are you talking about, the one who destroyed our beautiful Lebanon. Ok, let’s discuss that then.

          6. Lol BS. You are only saying you work coz I outed you as being on welfare. Omg how lame

          7. Make sure you drink and drive

          8. Anti ISIS Avatar
            Anti ISIS

            And make sure you go fuck yourself. You low life piece of shit. Just goes to show the kind of animal you really are. Hoping I drink and drive while my family is in the car. What kind of khalb would wish that.

          9. Lol you have a nerve barking about morals. I can pay for your alcohol. ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      French Bishop: Syrian soldiers facing foreign fighters mercenaries and terrorists
      http://www.globalresearch.ca/french-bishop-syrian-soldiers-face-foreign-fighters-mercenaries-and-terrorists/31260

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        Now you see why Egypt dumps on the ‘brotherhoods’.

        1. Be careful it will label you a Wahhabi or a Jew or a salad.

        2. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          Forget the beginning. Rebels first massacred Christian in Homs. French embassies are reopening in Syria. I wish no Sharia no establishment of ISIS al Nusra Syrian have suffered MORE than too much because of the West the Emirates and Israel alliances. .they want divide Syria loot its resources and water, have a foot hold in Lebanon. FSA doesn’t exist everyday there are new alliances

    3. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      2012- French bishop, Syrian soldiers face foreign fighters mercenaries and terrorists
      http://www.globalresearch.ca/french-bishop-syrian-soldiers-face-foreign-fighters-mercenaries-and-terrorists/31260

      1. Edit kalb is editing again. Have the balls to stand by what you bray. You gutless shiteblower

  4. sweetvirgo Avatar
    sweetvirgo

    Well since ISIS took over Yarmouk….throw some bombs. What the hell is the coalition doing?? They are to busy giving weapons to the so called “rebels” who share their stock with Nursa and ISIS who kill innocent people. Soon we will here these thugs will advance to Damascus. After they take Syria where do you think they will go?? They have been trying to go into Lebanon. Hell they still have 25 Lebanese servicemen.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        got ’em both …

        1. Roger that, commandant

    1. Wow, sweet Virgo is as educated as anti education. You will “here” at sweet uneducated? I’m starting to believe anti sweet are one and the same.

  5. Reasonableman Avatar
    Reasonableman

    Spokesperson for nusra denies any suggestion that they are apart of the offensive against yarmouk and the people of yarmouk.

    This action is picture perfect example that dowla is dowlat al isra2il.
    When the truce was made to give up foreign fighters for the army seige will be broken and aid allowed in to yarmouk, YES the seige was lifted although not entirely!
    What have the people of yarmouk done to deserve this? Isis presence brings in barrel bombs from high up!
    now we have GOVERNMENT malitias fighting to protect yarmouk???

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