Syria militants told to withdraw

Six militant groups operating in Syria called on an Al-Qaeda front group to leave the Northern town of Azaz bordering Turkey and return to their main headquarters. In a joint statement on Thursday, the militant groups called on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to withdraw from the town, press tv reported. They also asked for "an immediate cease-fire" between the ISIL and the Northern Storm brigade in Azaz. Infighting has been on the rise among militant groups in Syria recently. The statement was signed by the Ahrar al-Sham, Liwa al-Tawhid, Jaysh al-Islam, Suqur al-Sham, the Furqan brigades and Liwa al-Haq. They also called on the ISIL to withdraw from the central province of Homs. On September 29, the Al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front terrorists clashed with ISIL members in the Northwestern city of Aleppo. The clashes came days after 13 militant groups announced that they did not recognize the authority of the so-called Syrian National Coalition. Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants. In a recent statement, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said the number of Syrian refugees, who have fled the country’s conflict, reached two million. The UN refugee agency also said some 4.2 million people have been displaced inside Syria since the beginning of the conflict.