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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syria rebels lose key ally with collapse of Islamist faction |
| 2017-08-18 |
| [IsraelTimes] Syria’s opposition loses one of its most powerful factions with the collapse of Islamist heavyweight Ahrar al-Sham ...a Syria jihadi group made up of Islamists and salafists, not that there's that much difference, formed into a brigade. They make up the main element of the Islamic Front but they don't profess adoration of al-Qaeda and they've been fighting (mainly for survival) against the Islamic State. Their leadership was wiped out at a single blow by a suicide kaboom at a crowded basement meeting in September, 2014... , which once walked a fine line between jihadists and more mainstream rebels. The group has been decimated by deadly fighting, with a former al-Qaeda affiliate emerging the winner in the only Syrian province entirely beyond regime control. Clashes between the former allies broke out in mid-July when Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) attacked Ahrar positions across the northwestern province of Idlib. By the time a ceasefire deal was reached and the guns fell silent, Ahrar had been devastated. The group was expelled from Idlib city, the lucrative Bab al-Hawa border crossing with ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and surrounding territory near the frontier including checkpoints and key roads. Without revenues from commercial products taxed at Bab al-Hawa, Ahrar’s financial resources will likely be slashed. Its legitimacy as a governing force may also take a hit with HTS’s takeover of institutions like religious courts. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |