The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Al Qaeda in Syria attacks Western-backed rebels

BEIRUT: The Syrian arm of al Qaeda attacked a Western-backed rebel group near Aleppo on Thursday, the rebel group and an organization monitoring the civil war said, threatening one of the few remaining pockets of the non-jihadist opposition.

 

The Nusra Front seized positions from the Hazzm movement west of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Nusra Front said it was forced to act after Hazzm detained two of its fighters and captured its weapons and offices.

 

Hazzm is one of the last remnants of non-jihadist opposition to President Bashar al-Assad in northern Syria, much of which has been seized by the Nusra Front and Islamic State – an offshoot of al Qaeda that controls a third of Syria.

 

Hazzm has received what it describes as small amounts of military aid from foreign states opposed to Assad, including US-made anti-tank missiles. But it has lost ground to better armed and financed jihadists: Nusra drove Hazzm from the nearby Idlib province in October. While US-led air strikes have focused on pushing back Islamic State in eastern and northern Syria, the Nusra Front has deepened its influence in the northwest.

 

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/foreign/30-Jan-2015/al-qaeda-in-syria-attacks-western-backed-rebels