Hamas denies ISIS attack

[teddyearp]

“Supporters of the Islamic State in Beit al-Maqdis”, as the group refers to itself on social media, said it struck the Qassam Brigades's Qadisiyeh base in Khan Yunis, firing two 82mm mortar rounds in a pre-dawn attack.

But Iyad al-Bozum, spokesperson for the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza, denied that the attack took place and told AFP on Friday that the group's claims were "baseless".

Link: Hamas denies IS-supporting group attacked base in Gaza Middle East Eye

 

[waltky]

IS has emerged as one of the most powerful forces in the battle to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad...

IS fighters try to push into new district in Syrian capital
Aug 30, 2015, Islamic State fighters on Sunday pushed into a large district in southern Damascus, clashing with rival militants just a few kilometres from the centre of the Syrian capital, the extremist group and Syrian activists said.

More than two dozen militants were killed in the clashes on the edges of the Qadam neighbourhood, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has an extensive network of activists on the ground. The pro-IS Aamaq News Agency reported that IS fighters seized half of Qadam. The Observatory's Rami Abdurrahman said IS fighters were holding two streets and that fighting was continuing.

IS supporters posted propaganda pictures claiming to show IS fighters advancing in the narrow streets of Qadam. The authenticity of the images could not be confirmed independently. IS has emerged as one of the most powerful forces in the battle to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad. The extremist group has seized about one-third of Syria and neighboring Iraq over the past year.

Armed Islamic factions fighting forces loyal to Assad control parts of the Syrian capital and large parts of the city's suburbs. Earlier this year, IS fighters entered the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, east of Qadam, and control large parts of it. Also Sunday, a mortar round hit an upscale neighborhood of central Damascus, killing four people, including a girl, Syrian state TV said.

It is not uncommon for Damascus to be shelled. Sunday's attack targeted the posh neighborhood of Abu Rummaneh, which houses hotels and several embassies. An Associated Press reporter on the scene saw two people wounded by shrapnel. Vehicles in the area were also damaged.

IS fighters try to push into new district in Syrian capital - The Times of India