Syria rebels launch fierce attack on al Qaeda fighters
- 10 years ago
Syrian rebel factions have intensified an offensive against Islamist forces.
The apparently coordinated strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) come after months of increasing resentment of the powerful al Qaeda-linked group, whose radical foreign jihadis have alienated many ordinary Syrians in rebel-held territory.
Since Friday dozens of fighters have reportedly been killed in clashes between the rival rebel groups in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
One group of fighters battling ISIL is the newly formed Mujahideen Army, an alliance of eight brigades which accuses the al Qaeda affiliate of hijacking their struggle to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
The war has pitted Sunni rebels against forces loyal to Assad, from the Alawite faith which is an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam. It has divided the Middle East along sectarian lines, with Sunni states such as Turkey and the Gulf monarchies backing the rebels, and Shi’ite Iran and Hezbollah supporting Assad.
The apparently coordinated strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) come after months of increasing resentment of the powerful al Qaeda-linked group, whose radical foreign jihadis have alienated many ordinary Syrians in rebel-held territory.
Since Friday dozens of fighters have reportedly been killed in clashes between the rival rebel groups in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
One group of fighters battling ISIL is the newly formed Mujahideen Army, an alliance of eight brigades which accuses the al Qaeda affiliate of hijacking their struggle to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
The war has pitted Sunni rebels against forces loyal to Assad, from the Alawite faith which is an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam. It has divided the Middle East along sectarian lines, with Sunni states such as Turkey and the Gulf monarchies backing the rebels, and Shi’ite Iran and Hezbollah supporting Assad.