A newly formed Syrian rebel alliance has declared war on the powerful al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and joined other opposition groups in battling the extremists.
"We, the Army of the Mujahedeen, pledge to defend ourselves and our honour, wealth and lands, and to fight ISIL, which has violated the rule of God, until it announces its dissolution," the alliance of eight groups said Friday on Facebook.
The alliance demanded that ISIL fighters either join the ranks of other rebel groups "or hand over their weapons and leave Syria".
It accused ISIL of "spreading strife and insecurity... in liberated (rebel) areas, spilling the blood of fighters and wrongly accusing them of heresy, and expelling them and their families from areas they have paid heavily to free" from President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The Army of Mujahedeen also accused ISIL of theft and looting, and of "kidnapping, killing and torturing (rebel) commanders and activists", echoing repeated complaints among opposition ranks against the al-Qaeda affiliate.
The newly formed group is made up of eight small to medium-sized brigades, and it was not immediately clear how many fighters it commanded.
In a second statement issued Saturday, the Army of Mujahedeen said it rejected claims by ISIL supporters it was acting like "the sahwa of the Levant".
It reiterated its call on ISIL fighters "to defect and to join your honest brothers, who are fighting Assad across Syria".
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