Both rebel factions, Al Qaeda (Nusra Front) and a group aligned with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), were engaged in deadly skirmishes in the Idlib and Hama provinces, when the fighting suddenly ground to a halt. Jund al-Aqsa fighters swarmed in a large offensive and captured an estimated 150 to 200 fighters.
The question of what to do with the prisoners after six days of detainment was solved when Jund al-Aqsa decided to "liquidate" all the prisoners "at the same time," according to Abdul Hakim al-Rahmon, a commander from the FSA-aligned Jaish al-Nasr faction.
Al Qaeda and Daesh are seen as arch-rivals in the quest to be the dominant jihadist group in the region.
The Jaish al-Nasr commander said that 160 of those killed were affiliated with the FSA, while 43 were from Al Qaeda. A separate war-monitoring service reported that 150 fighters had been slaughtered during the mass execution.
