( CNN ) -- An audio message believed to be from al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri sought to halt infighting among jihadist groups in Syria , urging them instead to turn their arms against Shiites . In a 26-minute audio message posted on a jihadist website Friday , al-Zawahiri called on the Syria 's al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra , also known as al-Nusra Front , to stop fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( ISIS ) . CNN can not independently verify the authenticity of the message . A voice that appears similar to previous messages from al-Zawahiri ordered al-Nusra general commander `` Abu Mohammed al-Joulani and soldiers in al-Nusra front , and all other mujahedeen groups in Syria , to immediately stop fighting and aggression against their brothers and all Muslims , and should focus on fighting the enemies of Islam from Baathists , ( Alawites ) and their Shiite allies . '' The al Qaeda leader also passed on orders for ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his followers to focus on the fight in Iraq , where sectarian violence has reached the highest levels in more than five years , often pitting Sunnis , a minority in Iraq , against Shiite Muslims . `` Focus on Iraq even if you felt that you have been oppressed and taken advantage of , to stop this bloodshed and focus [ on ] enemies of Allah and Sunni people in Iraq , '' the message said . The call for a truce among jihadist groups comes as some 60,000 people have been forced to flee the northern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor in recent days amid clashes between the rival organizations , the London-based opposition group , Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , said via Facebook Saturday . At least 62 fighters have been killed in fighting over the past four days , the SOHR said . The clashes pit Jabhat al-Nusra and another group against ISIS , according to the SOHR . Al Qaeda splinter group ISIS this week staged bodies to look like they were crucified in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa . The group said the brutal display served to send a message to anyone who dares challenge its rule . The group carried out seven public executions in Raqqa on Tuesday , but only two bodies were displayed afterward , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . The men in Raqqa were shot in the head before being affixed to crosses . The displays of their bodies appear to be largely symbolic acts by ISIS followers against members of their own Sunni Muslim sect for perceived acts of treason . As Syria 's civil war creates a power vacuum , groups such as ISIS have stepped in with their own form of radical Sharia law to rule over an exhausted and terrorized civilian population . In a recent long-ranging interview , al-Zawahiri urged Muslims to capture Westerners as pawns that might be used to free prisoners aligned with his movement . Asked what he 'd tell `` Muslims and the mujahedeen '' -- a term used for some Islamist militants -- to do to `` fulfill their duty '' toward their allies in custody , al-Zawahiri said last week , `` I advise them to capture Westerners -- and especially the Americans , as much as they can -- to exchange them for our captives . '' Al-Zawahiri touched on an array of topics in a question-and-answer session with al Qaeda 's media arm , audio of which was published on the radical Islamist website Hanein . CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the recording . In the first part of the interview , which was posted online two weeks ago , al-Zawahiri insisted al Qaeda is holding strong and , in fact , `` expanding '' 13 years after the United States launched its `` war on terror '' following the September 11 , 2001 , attacks .
Ayman al-Zawahiri calls for truce between Jabhat al-Nusra , Syrian State of Iraq and Iraq . He orders Islamic to focus on Iraq , where violence has reached the highest levels in the past four days . Some 60,000 people have fled Islamic province Deir Ezzor amid clases between the rival groups .