diff --git a/src/widgets.js b/src/widgets.js
index 618de04dc3e9..155b8c08c4d9 100644
--- a/src/widgets.js
+++ b/src/widgets.js
@@ -94,42 +94,38 @@ angularWidget('ng:include', function(element){
     function($http,   $templateCache,   $autoScroll,   element) {
       var scope = this,
           changeCounter = 0,
-          releaseScopes = [],
-          childScope,
-          oldScope;
+          childScope;
 
       function incrementChange() { changeCounter++;}
       this.$watch(srcExp, incrementChange);
-      this.$watch(function(scope){
-        var newScope = scope.$eval(scopeExp);
-        if (newScope !== oldScope) {
-          oldScope = newScope;
-          incrementChange();
-        }
-      });
-      this.$watch(function() {return changeCounter;}, function(scope) {
+      this.$watch(function() {
+        var includeScope = scope.$eval(scopeExp);
+        if (includeScope) return includeScope.$id;
+      }, incrementChange);
+      this.$watch(function() {return changeCounter;}, function(scope, newChangeCounter) {
         var src = scope.$eval(srcExp),
             useScope = scope.$eval(scopeExp);
 
         function clearContent() {
-          childScope = null;
-          element.html('');
+          // if this callback is still desired
+          if (newChangeCounter === changeCounter) {
+            if (childScope) childScope.$destroy();
+            childScope = null;
+            element.html('');
+          }
         }
 
-        while(releaseScopes.length) {
-          releaseScopes.pop().$destroy();
-        }
         if (src) {
           $http.get(src, {cache: $templateCache}).success(function(response) {
-            element.html(response);
-            if (useScope) {
-              childScope = useScope;
-            } else {
-              releaseScopes.push(childScope = scope.$new());
+            // if this callback is still desired
+            if (newChangeCounter === changeCounter) {
+              element.html(response);
+              if (childScope) childScope.$destroy();
+              childScope = useScope ? useScope : scope.$new();
+              compiler.compile(element)(childScope);
+              $autoScroll();
+              scope.$eval(onloadExp);
             }
-            compiler.compile(element)(childScope);
-            $autoScroll();
-            scope.$eval(onloadExp);
           }).error(clearContent);
         } else {
           clearContent();
@@ -574,7 +570,10 @@ angularWidget('ng:view', function(element) {
         var template = $route.current && $route.current.template;
 
         function clearContent() {
-          element.html('');
+          // ignore callback if another route change occured since
+          if (newChangeCounter == changeCounter) {
+            element.html('');
+          }
         }
 
         if (template) {
diff --git a/test/widgetsSpec.js b/test/widgetsSpec.js
index a3f7282b74e1..d2867d0937a7 100644
--- a/test/widgetsSpec.js
+++ b/test/widgetsSpec.js
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ describe('widget', function() {
     it('should include on external file', inject(putIntoCache('myUrl', '{{name}}'),
         function($rootScope, $compile, $browser) {
       var element = jqLite('<ng:include src="url" scope="childScope"></ng:include>');
-      var element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
+      element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
       $rootScope.childScope = $rootScope.$new();
       $rootScope.childScope.name = 'misko';
       $rootScope.url = 'myUrl';
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ describe('widget', function() {
           putIntoCache('myUrl', '{{name}}'),
           function($rootScope, $compile, $browser) {
       var element = jqLite('<ng:include src="url" scope="childScope"></ng:include>');
-      var element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
+      element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
       $rootScope.childScope = $rootScope.$new();
       $rootScope.childScope.name = 'igor';
       $rootScope.url = 'myUrl';
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ describe('widget', function() {
     it('should allow this for scope', inject(putIntoCache('myUrl', '{{"abc"}}'),
           function($rootScope, $compile, $browser) {
       var element = jqLite('<ng:include src="url" scope="this"></ng:include>');
-      var element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
+      element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
       $rootScope.url = 'myUrl';
       $rootScope.$digest();
       $browser.defer.flush();
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ describe('widget', function() {
         putIntoCache('myUrl', 'my partial'),
         function($rootScope, $compile, $browser) {
       var element = jqLite('<ng:include src="url" onload="loaded = true"></ng:include>');
-      var element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
+      element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
 
       expect($rootScope.loaded).not.toBeDefined();
 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ describe('widget', function() {
     it('should destroy old scope', inject(putIntoCache('myUrl', 'my partial'),
           function($rootScope, $compile, $browser) {
       var element = jqLite('<ng:include src="url"></ng:include>');
-      var element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
+      element = $compile(element)($rootScope);
 
       expect($rootScope.$$childHead).toBeFalsy();
 
@@ -199,6 +199,30 @@ describe('widget', function() {
       $browser.defer.flush();
       expect(element.text()).toBe('my partial');
     }));
+
+    it('should discard pending xhr callbacks if a new template is requested before the current ' +
+        'finished loading', inject(function($rootScope, $compile, $httpBackend) {
+      var element = jqLite("<ng:include src='templateUrl'></ng:include>"),
+          log = [];
+
+      $rootScope.templateUrl = 'myUrl1';
+      $rootScope.logger = function(msg) {
+        log.push(msg);
+      }
+      $compile(element)($rootScope);
+      expect(log.join('; ')).toEqual('');
+
+      $httpBackend.expect('GET', 'myUrl1').respond('<div>{{logger("url1")}}</div>');
+      $rootScope.$digest();
+      expect(log.join('; ')).toEqual('');
+      $rootScope.templateUrl = 'myUrl2';
+      $httpBackend.expect('GET', 'myUrl2').respond('<div>{{logger("url2")}}</div>');
+      $rootScope.$digest();
+      $httpBackend.flush(); // now that we have two requests pending, flush!
+
+      expect(log.join('; ')).toEqual('url2; url2'); // it's here twice because we go through at
+                                                    // least two digest cycles
+    }));
   }));
 
 
@@ -645,7 +669,7 @@ describe('widget', function() {
       $location.path('/bar');
       $httpBackend.expect('GET', 'myUrl2').respond('<div>{{1+1}}</div>');
       $rootScope.$digest();
-      $httpBackend.flush(); // now that we have to requests pending, flush!
+      $httpBackend.flush(); // now that we have two requests pending, flush!
 
       expect($rootScope.$element.text()).toEqual('2');
     }));