World Bulletin / News Desk

Around 1,000 Syrian rebel fighters previously allied to the Islamic Front have now pledged their allegiance to the rising power of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Fighters from the Idlib-based Dawud Brigade left their positions with a hundred vehicles and ten tanks to join the ISIL in their stronghold of Raqqa, Digital Journal reported.

The Al Qaeda breakaway group ISIL, which was previously known for being one of the fiercest rebel groups in Syria, often attacking rival rebel groups in Syria's northern territories, has been attracting new recruits since capturing the Iraqi city of Mosul on June 10 and declaring leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the new 'caliph'.

Al Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front also brought an end to the rivalry between themselves and ISIL last month after joining the ISIL ranks, breaking away from Al Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahri.

However, the Shamy Army - another group aligned to the Islamic Front - said that they expelled the Dawud Brigade from the Islamic Front as they were already secretly working for the ISIL, as they once fought with the ISIL against the Free Syrian Army.