ISIS executes 200 of its own trying to defect to fight Russians

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ISIS recently executed more than 200 of its own militants after they tried to break off and join al-Qaida, witnesses told Syrian human rights workers.

The militants, apparently of Chechen and central Asian background, were more interested in fighting Russian and Syrian government troops than helping ISIS conquer the region.

An ISIS defector told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) the men were marched to a natural hole in the ground in the countryside near al-Raqqa where they were murdered and their bodies dumped.

Another 21 militants "of Caucasian nationalities" were gunned down by ISIS in August after they left their guard posts, SOHR reported.

"The reasons of successive defection of Chechen, Caucasian and Turkestan fighters from Islamic State is their belief that fighting with Islamic State is wrong. Rather, we have to join Jabhat al- Nusra to fight the regime forces and Russia," the defector told the human rights group.

Russia recently joined the fight in Syria. Airstrikes are hitting targets intended to bolster government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but are not focussing on ISIS.

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