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Al-Qaida in border town pledges loyalty to rivals

By WTOP Staff

ZEINA KARAM
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — A group of fighters from al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate in a border town has defected and joined the rival Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the powerful jihadi faction currently leading a blitz offensive in Iraq, an activist group said Wednesday.

The move opens the way for the Islamic State, which formally broke with al-Qaida earlier this year, to take control of both sides of the Syria-Iraq border and a huge chunk of territory straddling the two countries.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said senior members of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front based in the Syrian border town of Boukamal traveled to the Iraqi frontier town of Rabia Sunday, where they pledged loyalty to the Islamic State.

The two rebel factions have been engaged in deadly infighting across opposition-held territory in northern Syria for months. Thousands of people have been killed on both sides of the fight, which has undermined their larger goal of toppling President Bashar Assad.

Al-Qaeda’s central leadership broke with the Islamic State of the Iraq and the Levant earlier this year, in part because of its brutality and refusal to heed calls to stem the infighting. Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri then reaffirmed that Nusra Front as al-Qaida’s branch in Syria.

But the Islamic State has in recent days succeeded in grabbing vast swaths of territory along the Iraqi-Syrian border, including two border crossings. The group also controls much of of eastern Syria including large parts of Deir el-Zour province, where Boukamal is located. The town is controlled by increasingly besieged Nusra Front fighters and a host of other Islamic rebel groups with dwindling resources.

The loyalty pledge undertaken by Nusra Fighters may be an attempt at self-preservation, or it could herald more defections by Islamic extremist rebel groups.

The Observatory report, also published by some militant websites Wednesday, could not be independently confirmed and calls to Boukamal were not going through.

“This means that the Islamic State is now effectively in Boukamal,” said Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Britain-based group.

He said the move reflected the “growing strength of the Islamic State.” He said there were expectations that the group would now enter Boukamal from the Iraqi side of the border at the Qaim crossing, effectively taking control of the huge border area between Syria and Iraq. Islamic State fighters seized the Iraqi town of Qaim and the border crossing by the same name over the weekend.

Despite the loyalty pledge, which appears to be confined to the specific circumstances of Boukamal, fighting between the Nusra Front and Islamic State fighters continued in other parts of Syria Wednesday, including around Nusra’s stronghold of Shehil in Deir el-Zour province.

Meanwhile, Syrian government warplanes struck a series of targets in Syria’s northern city of Raqqa, an Islamic State stronghold, killing at least 12 people, opposition activists said. The airstrikes on Raqqa appear to be part of an intensified Syrian government campaign against the militant faction.

Activists said the jets struck targets around the provincial capital of Raqqa, including a market and the headquarters of the Islamic State.

A Raqqa-based activist who goes by the name of Abu Noor said in an interview over Skype that 13 bodies of civilians have been identified. He said the death toll will likely rise due to a large number of wounded.

An array of Syrian rebel groups captured Raqqa in March 2013. The Islamic State eventually expelled the other factions and took full control of the city, which is the only provincial capital to fall out of government hands.

Also Wednesday, Syrian aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes in the eastern, oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour near the border with Iraq. Islamic state fighters have been battling rival rebel groups for months in the oil-rich province. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

In Deir el-Zour, at least two airstrikes struck Muhassan, a town along the Euphrates River near Iraq that has been daily pounded by warplanes since the Islamic State fighters captured it last week.

In the capital, Damascus, at least mortar attacks struck pro-government neighborhoods, killing eight people and wounding 20, the state news agency said.

___

Associated Press writer Barbara Surk in Beirut and Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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