Syrian rebels call on rivals to end infighting

BEIRUT — BEIRUT (AP) — Six Syrian rebel groups are calling on two major rival rebel factions battling each other in the north to end the infighting.

The six released a statement late Wednesday urging the rival factions to "cease the fire immediately" and resolve their differences before an Islamic court.

The two major factions battling in the north are al-Qaida's Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant on one side, and the Western-backed Free Syrian Army's Northern Storm Brigade on the other.

The infighting has become an increasingly prominent component in Syria's conflict, now in its third year.

The statement was reported by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents the civil war and also rebel-on-rebel fighting.

Among those that signed the appeal are the Islamic Army and the Tawheed Brigade.