Al-Qaeda Kills Rival Faction Leader in Northwest Syria

Top Nusra Front Member, Family Slain by al-Qaeda in Iraq

The al-Qaeda versus al-Qaeda factional fighting continues to escalate, as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) struck a major blow in the Idlib Province, killing provincial leader for Jabhat al-Nusra and his entire family in Ras al-Hosn.

A group of AQI members attacked the leader, Abu Mohammed al-Ansari, at his home in town of Ras al-Hosn, and killed him, his wife, his daughter, his brother, and his niece.

Nusra fighters arrived, but too late, though they did reportedly kill one of the AQI fighters and capture two more of them after the fact. A fourth attacker blew himself up rather than be captured by al-Qaeda rivals.

AQI also seized a whole village in the northeastern Deir Ezzor Province, one taken by the rival faction during a February offensive, but which AQI had held prior to that. Increasingly, AQI and Nusra are fighting one another as much, if not more, as they are fighting the Syrian government.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.