BREAKING NEWS

Al-Qaida splinter group withdraws from oil-rich Syrian province

BEIRUT - An al-Qaida splinter group has withdrawn its forces from Syria's oil-rich eastern province of Deir al-Zor, activists and rebels said on Monday, following days of heavy fighting with rivals.
Rebel groups, including al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate the Nusra Front, have been battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) for control of towns and oilfields in the area. Activists said ISIL forces had pulled back to the eastern provinces of Raqqa and Hassaka.