As 2014 draws to a close, the war in Syria grinds on. The main combatants continue to pummel each other like punch drunk fighters, with no referee to make them stop. The regime of Bashar al-Assad controls only about 45 percent of the country but 65 percent of the population, according to Syria expert Josh Landis. The group that calls itself the Islamic State (IS) holds a third of Syria but only a few million of its inhabitants; al-Qaeda’s affiliate, the Nusra Front, occupies 5 percent of the territory and the Kurds 8 or 9 percent. The so-called secular opposition holds the remaining 5 percent, mostly near the southern border with Jordan, but cannot operate without permission from Nusra, which allows the groups to pretend to be autonomous so they can continue to qualify for Western aid. Read full article on link below:
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 22:40:35 +0000
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