Islamic State, al-Qaeda Reach Accord in Syria

Fighters from the Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, north Syria, on June 30, 2014. In the early dawn of Nov. 2, militant leaders with the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda gathered at a farm house in northern Syria and sealed a deal to stop fighting each other and work together against their opponents, a prominent Syrian opposition official and a rebel commander said. Such an alliance could be a significant blow to struggling US-backed Syrian rebels. AP Photo/Raqqa Media Center of the Islamic State group

ISTANBUL—Two Syrian opposition figures say the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda’s branch met last week and agreed to stop fighting each other and work together against their opponents.

The deal could be a heavy blow to Washington’s strategy against the Islamic State group, relying on arming moderate rebel factions to push back extremists in Syria.

A prominent Syrian opposition official and a rebel commander say delegates from the two groups met in secret on Nov. 2 in northern Syria and agreed to end months of fighting between them and cooperate on the ground. The two spoke on condition their names not be used for their own protection or because they were not authorized to release the information.

The accord stops short of a merger between the two.

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From The Associated Press