Islamic Jihad deny fighting alongside Syrian forces

The Islamic Jihad Movement has denied that senior members of the movement fought alongside regime forces in Syria and members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command [PFLP – GC] against Syrian rebels last week at the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria. The movement released a statement in which it described the accusation as “pure fabrication” that “act as a mouthpiece for Zionists” who “wish to settle scores” with the movement and “punish it for bombarding Tel Aviv and for its role in the Gaza war.” The movement denied having militants in Syria and said that its presence in Damascus was limited to political and media offices, adding that its “main presence” and weapons can be found in Palestine. Kuawiti newspaper Al-Seyassah reported in its Friday issue that “official sources” have said that Islamic Jihad cadres fought alongside regime forces against Syrian rebels in the Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus. The sources told the Kuwaiti newspaper that the Jihad fighters were identified after a number of bodies were found in the camp that the report said had “appeared to have been dressed in plainclothes before they were killed.” They were “found to be carrying Islamic Jihad membership cards signed by the movement’s secretary-general, Ramadan Abdullah Shallah.”