Even as the United States and Kurdish fighters bomb Islamic State (ISIS) positions in the Syrian-Turkish border town of Kobane and elsewhere across the northern Tigris-Euphrates river valleys, the terrorist is contending with a more surreptitious enemy from within its own territory.

In an interview with Business Insider, White Shroud leader Abu Aboud said the group arose in response to ISIS crimes against Syrian people, and that its name is a reference to the traditional white shroud in which Muslims are buried.

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"Secrecy is the most important element of White Shroud's work," said Abu Aboud. Vastly outnumbered by ISIS fighters, the group relies on a hit-and-run guerrilla campaign based on divide-and-conquer tactics.

"Eighty percent of the members of White Shroud did not take part in combat before [ISIS] came," he said. "We trained them and they joined White Shroud because of the great oppression they felt after Islamic State took control."  

Aboud says White Shroud consists of 300 members. 

Cells of four men work independently of each other, Aboud said. Even with minimal manpower, the group carried out a daring raid in the strategic town of Al Bukamal on the Syria-Iraq border, resulting in the deaths of 11 ISIS militants. 

The group operates mainly in Syria's Deir al-Zor province near the Iraqi border. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is tracking the ISIS conflict, reports an rise in attacks on ISIS positions in the region.  

White Shroud and similar groups are as merciless as they is swift. There are no negotiations and prisoners are not kept alive for any length of time. Initially, most strikes were on single targets, done by shooters on motorbikes.

"The aim of this group - spreading fear among Islamic State members - has been realized," said White Shroud spokesman Abu Ali Albukamali  "Today, you never meet them walking alone. They mostly move in groups, afraid of abduction." 

The emergence of White Shroud are now a factor in U.S. military planning, but the fluid nature of Middle Eastern alliances keeps Washington cautious - just because a group is targeting ISIS does not mean they will not target Western-led troops.

TagsWhite Shroud, ISIS, Iraq