ISIS takes control of 60% of Yarmouk camp in Damascus
The Islamic State (ISIS) has reportedly managed to takeover most of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria's capital Damascus.
"[ISIS] began attacking positions of its former ally [Jabhat] Al-Nusra and took control of 60 percent of the camp," the Palestinie Liberation Organization's (PLO) chief in Damascus, Anwar Abdel Hadi told AFP.
"Some Nusra fighters joined [ISIS's] ranks," he added. "ISIS then besieged the remaining Nusra positions and demanded that they leave the camp."
Yarmouk was once home to 160,000 Palestinians and Syrians. The ongoing war in Syria has devastated it and forced most of its inhabitants to leave. A mere 6,000 civilians remain in the devastated area along with as many as 3,000 ISIS militants.
ISIS had previously overrun large parts of the camp in April 2015, in coordination with Nusra, but were pushed back by armed Palestinians and forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
"[ISIS] began attacking positions of its former ally [Jabhat] Al-Nusra and took control of 60 percent of the camp," the Palestinie Liberation Organization's (PLO) chief in Damascus, Anwar Abdel Hadi told AFP.
"Some Nusra fighters joined [ISIS's] ranks," he added. "ISIS then besieged the remaining Nusra positions and demanded that they leave the camp."
Yarmouk was once home to 160,000 Palestinians and Syrians. The ongoing war in Syria has devastated it and forced most of its inhabitants to leave. A mere 6,000 civilians remain in the devastated area along with as many as 3,000 ISIS militants.
ISIS had previously overrun large parts of the camp in April 2015, in coordination with Nusra, but were pushed back by armed Palestinians and forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.