Syria: ISIL militants seize parts of Palestinian camp
ISIL militants have reportedly taken control of large parts of a Palestinian camp in the Syrian capital. Video uploaded to the internet purportedly shows smoke rising from a neighbourhood of Yarmouk in southern Damascus. ISIL is said to be in control of some of the main streets of the camp, which currently houses up to 18-thousand people. Fierce clashes were continuing, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Yarmouk has been caught between government forces and Syrian insurgent groups, including ISIL rivals such as al Qaeda’s Nusra Front. It was once a thriving neighbourhood, home to 160-thousand Palestinian refugees and Syrians. But the fighting in recent years has forced many to flee. Those who remain have been facing significant shortages of food, water and medicine. link text
