Bill Gertz, Washington Free Beacon

Sharp divisions among Al Qaida terrorists in the Middle East are continuing despite a recent appeal by the group’s top leader to heal the rift between two warring factions. ….

The divisions pit the remnants of Al Qaida’s central organization and its supporters in the Middle East and North Africa against a splinter group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The internal conflict has resulted in fierce online debates, killings, and bombings on the ground in Syria, where ISIL has attacked both fighters and facilities belonging to the al Nusra Front, the official Al Qaida rebel group in the Syrian conflict. ISIL continues to gain widespread jihadist support both in the region for insurgents in Syria and Iraq as well as from supporters worldwide.

That support came despite a speech last month by Al Qaida central leader Ayman al Zawahiri, successor to Osama bin Laden, and a statement earlier this month by the group’s “general command” that declared the ultra-hardline ISIL was not part of the global Al Qaida network.

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  Background-Brief.com, Split in Al Qaida intensifies