The strategy of ISIS and another al-Qaeda-affiliated group, Jabhat al-Nusra (with whom ISIS has been in competition and occasional conflict), has been far less about fighting the Assad regime than about tightening control over a swathe of territory stretching from western Iraq to northern Syria. Clashes between rebels of the Free Syrian Army and the al-Qaeda groups have escalated, a situation that the Assad regime has welcomed and indirectly encouraged. That’s because, as many observers have pointed out, the Syrian regime has generally avoided attacking the al-Qaeda groups, and has even collaborated with them in certain districts. This has allowed the jihadists to gain ground and in that way confirm the regime’s narrative that it is the last line of defense against extremism. https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/commentaryanalysis/all-against-all-in-syria
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 22:02:55 +0000
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