Field sources have told All4Syria that dozens of Nusra Front fighters deployed around Mount Zawiyah in the countryside of Idleb have defected and traveled secretly to Raqqa to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The sources said that a fighter from the Nusra Front in the Kafranbul district asked the driver of a bus to give him a ride to Aleppo, then told him to go to other areas because his friends would accompany him. The total number was 13 fighters. Upon arrival to eastern Aleppo, the driver met two other drivers who made the same journey, transporting about two dozens of fighters from Idleb.
The fighters then asked the drivers to go to Raqqa. After several phone calls by the fighters, they met a group arriving in a Kia pickup truck carrying more than two dozen fighters. The total number amounted to around 60 fighters, carrying their personal weapons and small bags.
The driver said they gave all the drivers transportation fees and asked them to return to Idleb, without explaining the reason, "but it seemed pretty clear they have joined ISIS".
ISIS does not accept the accession of Nusra fighters unless it recognizes their loyalty and obedience. New arrivals are subjected to interrogation similar to those of detainees, and the investigation with the dissidents from Nusra is usually more accurate and severe than the investigation of those who want to fight alongside ISIS from other battalions.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
