U.S.-Backed Rebels Lose Ground as Jabhat al-Nusra Seizes Swaths of Territory in Idlib
Jabhat al-Nusra fighters seized the remaining stronghold of Western-backed rebels in Syria’s Northwest province of Idlib on Saturday, driving them out of their bastion after 24 hours of fighting, the Washington Post reports.
Fighters captured the village of Deir Sonbol, the stronghold of the Revolutionaries Front and forced Syria Revolutionaries Front leader Jamal Maarouf, an important figure in the moderate opposition, to pull out. The fighters are now in control of most remaining towns and villages in the Jabal-al Zawiya area.
The militants are conducting a significant military offensive against the Syria Revolutionaries Front led by Jamal Maarouf, after accusing him of being corrupt and working for the West against them.
As Jabhat al-Nusra swept through the northern province of Idlib, rebels armed and trained by the U.S. “either surrendered or defected” to the militants.
“[The al-Nusra Front] seized SRF arms and tanks, and some of the rebels swore allegiance to al-Nusra, while others fled,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
The SRF, backed by the West and several other Arab countries, was formed in 2013 as an alliance of moderate rebel organizations led by Jamaal Maarouf. With the loss of its stronghold in Idlib, the SRF now only has a presence in southern Syria.
Nusra had been perceived by many Syrians as less radical than ISIS, and had participated alongside moderate rebels in the battle against ISIS. It has also declared its allegiance to the mainstream al-Qaida leadership and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States.
Nusra was one of the first targets in the U.S.-led strikes that began in September.
Nusra also seized the headquarters of Harakat Hazem outside the village of Khan Subbil, the largest recipient of U.S. aid offered under a covert CIA program launched this year, “including the first deliveries of U.S.-made TOW antitank missiles.”
“It was not immediately clear if American TOW missiles were among the stockpile surrendered to Jabhatal-Nusra on Saturday,” according to the Telegraph.
Moderate rebel groups in Syria are under growing pressure as Assad forces advance on the country’s west and south, while ISIS makes gains in the east and north.
Jabhat al-Nusra Lays Out Conditions to Release Captured Lebanese Soldiers
‘Jabhat al-Nusra has offered to free Lebanese soldiers it captured in exchange for Islamist prisoners held in Syria and Lebanon’, Reuters reports.
According to a statement monitored by SITE, Jabhat al-Nusra presented a Qatari negotiator with three proposals for the release of the soldiers that were taken when its fighters and ISIS militants briefly took the Lebanese border town of Arsal in August.
“Nusra asked for the release of 10 ‘brothers’ held in Lebanon, or seven prisoners in Lebanon and 30 female prisoners held in Syria, or six prisoners and 50 female prisoners for each captive soldiers.”
Violence from Syria’s three-year civil war has spilled over to Lebanon several times. In one of the worst incidents of violence, Nusra and ISIS fighters launched an incursion into Arsal and seized around 20 soldiers prisoner when they left, beheading two and shooting one.
The group has previously demanded that in return for the release of its prisoners, Shiite militant group Hezbollah end its intervention in Syria.
The New York Times reports on the split felt across Lebanon about the role of Hezbollah and its alliance with the Syrian government.
In the Lebanese town or Ras Baalbek, “even longtime critics of Hezbollah grudgingly welcome its presence as a bulwark between them and the Syrian and foreign Sunni militants in the highlands.”
“Maybe if they hadn’t gone to Syria, we wouldn’t have these problems.” …And maybe if they hadn’t gone, the extremists would have come to us sooner, one resident told the New York Times.
Government-Controlled Syria ‘Battered and Impoverished’ but Resilient
The AP reports from Damascus, and the coastal region of Tartous, key strongholds of government support, showing how locals have adjusted to life in the war-torn country.
“Government-controlled Syria is truncated in size, battered and impoverished. But it carries on, underscoring how Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government has clung to power, despite an armed rebellion to uproot him, now well into its fourth year.”
After continuous fighting back and forth, the government maintains control over Damascus and a large amount of territory west of the Mediterranean coastal regions that include several of Syria’s largest cities. ISIS is now in control of territory that encompasses a third of both Syria and Iraq.
The coastal region of Tartous that used to be dominated by the Alawites is now host to some 350,000 displaced people, mostly Sunni Muslims.
“That ultimately will have a longer-term effect: It will be difficult for Assad’s government to carve out an Alawite bastion, as some critics suggest he is doing, and which government officials deny.
“It also highlights the fact that Sunnis, who form the country’s majority faith group, form Assad’s chief power base, even as the rebellion is dominated by Sunnis. Minorities, like the Alawites, Shiites and Christians, mostly support the government or have remained neutral.”
Iraqi Kurds Reinforce Kobani as U.S. Strikes Islamic State Targets
Armed Iraqi Kurds arrived in Kobani this weekend, aiming to tip the balance in the battle to defend the town against ISIS, Reuters reports
Thus far U.S. airstrikes have succeeded in preventing ISIS from taking over Kobani, but have not managed to prevent the group from several advances, particularly in Sunni areas of western Iraq.
The 150 Iraqi Kurdish fighters mark the first time Turkey had allowed ground troops from outside Syria to provide assistance to the Syrian Kurds, who have been struggling to defend Kobani for over a month.
“The fighters were preparing themselves for the battle and are expected to take part in action in Kobani later on Saturday,” Kurdish officials told Reuters.
“What was lacking is the weapons and ammunition, so the arrival of more of it plus the fighters will help tip the balance of the battle,” Idris Nassan, deputy foreign minister of Kobani district, said.
Iraqi Kurdish forces will only stay in Syria “temporarily” to help reinforce fellow Kurds fighting to defend the town of Kobani, Nechervan Barzani, prime minister of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government, said in an interview with the Associated Press.
Since Friday, the U.S. military has launched 10 airstrikes against ISIS, five in Iraq and five near Kobani.
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