British Newspaper: Jihadists are moving freely between Iraq and Syria

, while noted to the existence of mutual support and supply to them across the borders of the two countries .

The newspaper published , a subject by the author " Michael Chulov ," briefed by " Shafaq News " , in which he said , that " The most serious clashes yet between the Syrian opposition and a prominent al-Qaida group erupted in the north of the country on Friday as a tribal revolt against the same organisation continued to rage in Iraq's Anbar province”.

“Opposition groups near Aleppo attacked militants from the Islamic State of Iraq in Syria (Isis) in two areas, al-Atareb and Andana, which are both strongholds of the fundamentalist Sunni organization”.

“Battles also erupted in the Salahedin district of Aleppo itself, where both groups had reluctantly co-existed during recent months as Isis had imposed its hardline influence on parts of the city. Several hundred miles east, Isis remains in control of parts of the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, having raided mosques, sacked police stations and freed prisoners in moves reminiscent of the darkest days of Iraq's insurgency, in which much of Anbar had been lost to al-Qaeda,” he added.

Isis is the latest incarnation of the same ruthless group that held sway in Anbar before the Awakening Movement of tribal militias ousted it. The Awakening was led at the time by powerful local sheikhs and backed by the occupying US military and was credited with freeing both cities from the grip of the jihadists.

But over the past year, security there and elsewhere in Iraq has gradually ebbed as the war in Syria has intensified. In the past week, revitalized Isis insurgents stormed into both cities soon after the Iraqi military withdrew from a violent standoff with local tribes.

The same group has been at the vanguard of an increasing radicalisation of the anti-Assad opposition in northern Syria. Its members cross freely between Anbar and the eastern deserts of Syria as the insurgencies in each country steadily seep in to each other.

Tribal figures in Anbar said they were continuing to mount attacks on Isis and were determined to block the Islamists' efforts to re-establish a foothold there.

According to Chulov the "jihadists are move freely across the border between Iraq and Syria, which extends for hundreds of kilometers and are carrying out supply and mutual support as their control increased over the border areas after the intensification of the battles and the weakness of the regime's grip on Syria."

He pointed to "the visit made by al-Maliki to Washington with the increasing armed attacks in Anbar and his intelligence request for support from the U.S. administration, which agreed in turn to supply weapons and technical experts but it is unclear whether it will support it through the controversial program to use the drones,” he said.

Iraq shares borders with Syria for about 600 km, which is bordering to Anbar and Nineveh provinces from the Iraqi side.

Observers of the region warn that the Syrian crisis began to evolve and take religiously and ideologically grants that may include the region in general and the neighboring countries of Syria in particular, and those states that Iraq is witnessing religious , sectarian and nationalist plurality.