Insurgents, al-Qaeda fight in Syria’s Idlib Province

Rival insurgent groups fighting the Syrian government reportedly once again clash in the Idlib Province of northwest Syria.

The Syrian Revolutionary Front forces clashed with the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front in Deir Sinbel village in Idlib Province on Friday, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

“Both sides suffered heavy losses,” the Britain-based group said.

On Thursday, another clash pitted the so-called Hazzem movement against the al-Nusra militants in Khan al-Sibel, also in Idlib, leaving three dead.

Both the Syrian Revolutionary Front and Hazzem are supported by the West in their efforts to topple the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian military forces on Monday repelled an offensive by al-Qaeda-linked militants against the city of Idlib after the militants of Nusra Front, backed by other groups, attacked the city from all sides.

Syrian forces pushed them back after they had temporarily seized several government buildings, including the governor’s office.

Many parts of Idlib Province are under the control of militants, but the provincial capital, Idlib, remains in the hands of government forces.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Western powers and some of their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – have been supporting the militants operating in Syria.

More than 200,000 people have reportedly died in the Syrian conflict since March 2011.