TODAY’S MESOP SYRIA INSIGHT SHORT CUTS (I)

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have begun withdrawing from areas of northern Syria. The movement of forces has come four days after al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front issued an ultimatum to ISIL to agree to mediation over infighting in Syria, or face expulsion from the country. ISIL fighters have reportedly left the town of Azaz, three miles from the Turkish border, which it had seized from rival opposition groups about five months ago. According to Rami Abdulrahman, director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, ISIL “is heading to areas that neighbor Raqqa province where it has its main stronghold in the city of Raqqa.” The Observatory says 3,300 people have been killed in clashes between rebel factions since the beginning of 2014. Read more: www.mesop.de