BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian rebels and al-Qaida-linked militants traded accusations on Wednesday over infighting that escalated after Russian-led cease-fire talks concluded with a call for mainstream insurgents to break with the extremists.
The fighting across northern Syria pits the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front against several other groups, including its erstwhile ally Ahrar al-Sham, one of the most powerful insurgent groups in the country.
Some of the rebel groups involved in the fighting were represented at this week's talks in Kazakhstan, which were brokered by Russia and Turkey and aimed at shoring up a shaky Dec. 30 cease-fire with President Bashar Assad's forces. The talks in Astana brought the armed rebel factions face-to-face with Assad's representatives for the first time.
Fatah al-Sham said in a statement that the Suqour al-Sham group launched an "unprovoked" attack on its bases in Idlib, killing six fighters, and that the Army of Islam group also attacked it. The Army of Islam led the delegation in Astana, which included Suqour al-Sham and other groups taking part in the latest fighting.
Ahrar al-Sham, which did not attend the conference, clashed earlier this week with another faction affiliated with Fatah al-Sham. The fighting has since escalated, and now Ahrar al-Sham and other rebel factions have clashed with Fatah al-Sham in a dozen locations.
It was not immediately clear if the infighting is Fatah al-Sham's response to calls for its isolation, or if the rebels who attended the conference are trying to end the group's domination of Idlib province, one of the last remaining strongholds for the opposition.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel groups had seized Fatah al-Sham checkpoints in four villages by late Tuesday. Step News agency, another opposition-run media platform, said Fatah al-Sham seized warehouses of Jaysh al-Mujahedeen, another group that attended the Astana talks.
The Syrian government and its ally Russia have long referred to the entire armed opposition as "terrorists," in part because they have fought alongside Fatah al-Sham. The Astana talks, in a way, challenged that label when the government agreed to sit with at least 13 rebel factions.
Fatah al-Sham claimed to have severed its ties to al-Qaida when it changed its name from the Nusra Front last year, but it did not change its leadership or strategy, and is still widely seen as an extension of the global terror network.
Fatah al-Sham has been excluded from the current and previous cease-fires, along with the Islamic State group, but until now the other rebel factions have been reluctant to break with the al-Qaida-linked group, viewing it as a battle-hardened ally against Assad. Many say infighting with Fatah al-Sham would only weaken the armed opposition.
Ahrar al-Sham accused Fatah al-Sham of igniting the infighting, calling it "the greatest service" to those seeking to isolate the al-Qaida-linked group. It said it had deployed its own fighters to bring the situation under control.
The talks in Kazakhstan on Monday and Tuesday ended with an agreement among Russia, Turkey and Iran to consolidate the cease-fire, take joint action against extremist groups and jumpstart peace talks aimed at ending the nearly six-year-old conflict.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the agreement a "serious diplomatic success" that could pave the way for a political solution to the conflict. Turkey is a main backer of the Syrian opposition and the rebel groups who attended the Astana talks.
The Russian military meanwhile said it has launched another air raid against the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, the fourth such mission in five days.
The Russian Defense Ministry said six Tu-22M3 bombers flew from their base in Russia to strike IS targets in the province of Deir el-Zour on Wednesday. It said the raid targeted two militant command facilities along with weapons and ammunition depots.
Syrian troops have been struggling to fend off an IS offensive launched earlier this month in Deir el-Zour. The extremists control the entire province except for a small pocket of the provincial capital and a nearby air base.
A Russian air campaign launched in September 2015 has provided a crucial boost for Assad's forces in battles with extremist groups as well as the mainstream opposition.
2017-01-25 15:20:45 GMT
