Two branches of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network have urged warring militant factions in Iraq and Syria to stop fighting each other and unite against a U.S.-led coalition that is preparing to attack Islamic State militants.
The call was issued in a rare joint statement posted online by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
The Islamic State armed group is an offshoot of Al-Qaeda and has fought several rival Islamist militant groups that have sought to resist its expansion in Syria -- including Al-Qaeda’s wing in Syria, the Al-Nusra Front.
The United States has been building an international coalition to battle against Islamic State militants.
It includes 10 Gulf Arab states, Australia, France, and Britain as well as other key NATO allies.