Militants seize most of refugee camp in Syria’s capital

FILE - This picture taken on Jan. 31, 2014, and released by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), shows residents of the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk, queuing to receive food supplies, in Damascus, Syria. On Wednesday, April. 1, 2015 Islamic State militants infiltrated the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk in the Syrian capital marking the deepest foray yet by the extremist group into Damascus, seat of President Bashar Assad’s power, Syrian opposition activists and Palestinian officials said. (AP Photo/UNRWA, File)

By Associated Press April 4, 2015 1 min read

BEIRUT (AP) – Syrian activists say Islamic militants have taken over the majority of neighborhoods in a Palestinian refugee camp on the edge of Damascus as fighting continues for the fourth day.

They say the militants include the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front, the al-Qaida affiliate in Syria. The two groups are rivals in Syria but appear to be cooperating in the attack on the Yarmouk camp.

An activist in southern Damascus, Hatem al-Dimashqi, said Saturday that rebel groups have launched a counteroffensive aimed at ousting the militants from the camp.

Islamic State militants stormed the Yarmouk camp on Wednesday, marking the extremist group’s deepest foray yet into Damascus.

Damascus-based Palestinian official Khaled Abdul-Majid said Saturday that the Islamic State group was holding almost half of the camp.