The self-proclaimed Islamic State has gained a significant amount of territory in recent months—the militants now control about half of Syria, though it’s mostly uninhabited desert.
But members of the Syrian opposition have made their own gains. In April, they captured the northwestern city of Jisr al-Shughour from Syrian military forces controlled by President Bashar al-Assad.
VICE News managed to tag along with the opposition fighters as they took control of Jisr al-Shughour. Filmmaker Salam Rizk got a first hand account of what that struggle was like.
The resulting video, "Jihadists vs. the Assad Regime: Syria's Rebel Advance," makes it clear that even though the opposition are not members of ISIS, an extremist ideology is still prevalent among certain factions.
Kevin Sutcliffe is head of news programming for VICE EU. He discusses the video, and Rizk's experience.
Check out the short film below.