On May 23, the Saudi owned Asharq al-Awsat reported: "The killing last week of Abu-al-Miqdam, commander of the artillery and missile unit in the Islamic Ahrar al-Sham Movement that belongs to the Islamic Front, by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, known as DA'ISH showed that the organization has restored its influence in the countryside areas of central Syria, namely in Homs and Hamah, after it tightened its control of Al-Raqqah in the northeast of the country and expanded to Dayr al-Zawr where it is close to controlling the entire countryside areas that are linked with its areas of influence in Iraq. The organization shifted from focusing on fighting the Syrian Government forces to fighting the Syrian opposition fighters after it planned in summer last year to seize control of areas adjacent to Iraq.

"Spokesman of the free army's staff command Umar Abu-Layla says that since then, DA'ISH managed to deploy 3,000 fighters between Al-Raqqah and Dayr al-Zawr. He notes that most fighters of the organization are foreigners. He asserts that DA'ISH received orders from its leader, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi, to focus on Dayr al-Zawr in order to control it as it is "their main gateway to Iraq." As oppositionists point out that the organization has oil, money, and weapons, Al-Husayn explains that oil and tribal affiliations are among the reasons behind this conflict. He says that the issue has turned into what resembles tribal war with oil involved in it. Al-Husayn says: "Former leading members of the free army paid allegiance to them. The oil in Dayr al-Zawr is estimated to be worth billions. By selling this oil, they can accumulate funds to buy ammunition and strengthen their army." He adds that DA'ISH members distributed fruits in an area a few days ago to curry favour with the people there." - Asharq al-Awsat, United Kingdom