Moderate Rebels? Militant Fights Near Syria's Damascus Kill Over 300

Violent clashes between rival militant groups over control of a crucial stronghold near Syria's Damascus have caused hundreds of deaths among civilians and fighters in last couple of weeks.

According to London-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Saudi-backed Jaish al-Islam group has been battling with al-Nusra Front-led groups Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Fustat since April 28.

The bloody fights erupted to the east of the Syrian Capital, in an area called Eastern Ghouta. It is a densely populated cluster of towns and villages that has been a battlefield since 2011, when the civilian war began.

SOHR, which is said to gain infromation from sources on the ground in Syria, reported that the escalation of the conflict began after members of Faylaq al-Rahman group attacked Jaish al-Islam’s stronghold.

Local residents and officials tried to prevent bloodshed, calling the sides to start talks in a series of protests. Despite that, battling sides continued to fight, constructing fortifications and blocking roads, the monitoring group added.

"More than 300 fighters have been killed as Islamist rebel factions battle for influence in Eastern Ghouta," SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP, specifying that most of casualties befell Jaish al-Islam and al-Nusra factions.

Rahman added that clashes claimed the lives of ten civilians, including a child and a doctor. The doctor, Nabil al-Daas, was the last gynecologist working in the area.

Jaish al-Islam is considered the major rebel faction in the area. One of its leaders, Mohammad Alloush, has presented rebels in Geneva talks on Syrian ceasefire, despite the legitimate government labeling him a terrorist.