Syria Rebels Agree Border Town Truce with Jihadists
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syrian rebels have agreed a ceasefire with Al-Qaida loyalists after bitter fighting for a key border town, a monitoring group said on Friday, as the opposition condemned the jihadist assault.
The National Coalition accused Al-Qaida front group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) of violating the principles of the revolution by turning its guns on fighters of the mainstream Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Azaz.
ISIS seized the town on the border with Turkey in hours-long fighting on Wednesday, in the latest in a growing spate of clashes between jihadists and mainstream rebel units.
The Northern Storm brigade, which is loyal to the FSA and was based in Azaz, agreed to the truce with ISIS under which both sides pledged to observe a ceasefire, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The deal was brokered by Liwa al-Tawhid, a powerful rebel brigade loyal to the FSA, which sent fighters to the town on Thursday who have deployed between the two sides, the Observatory said.
The rival groups also undertook to free detainees captured in Wednesday's fighting and to immediately return any goods looted from the other side.
They agreed that any future problems that might emerge be dealt with by an arbitration committee, the Britain-based watchdog added.
Azaz has symbolic as well as strategic value as it was one of the first towns to be captured from government troops, in July 2012, by FSA fighters, who set up their own administration.
Tensions have spiraled between some mainstream rebel groups and ISIS in recent months, especially in northern Syria, where the opposition controls vast swathes of territory.
Several local groups resent ISIS's growing territorial control, its steady supply of arms, as well as its brutality, which opponents often compare to that of the regime.
ISIS, on the other hand, has accused some rebels affiliated with the FSA's Supreme Military Command of collaborating with the West and of being "heretics".
The opposition National Coalition issued a rare condemnation of ISIS on Friday, accusing the group of violating the principles of the revolution by turning its guns on FSA fighters.
"The Coalition condemns the aggressions against the forces of the Syrian revolution and the repeated disregard for the lives of Syrians, and considers that this behavior runs contrary to the Syrian revolution and the principles it is striving to achieve," a statement said.
It accused ISIS of "repeated repressive practices against the freedom of civilians, doctors, journalists and political activists in recent months".
It also accused it of having "links to foreign agendas" and of seeking to create a "new state inside the Syrian state entity in violation of national sovereignty".
ISIS and fellow jihadist group Al-Nusra Front have long posed a dilemma for the opposition and FSA commanders.
The two groups have proved themselves effective fighting machines against the forces of President Bashar Assad, and FSA commanders have been ready to cooperate with them tactically.
But their presence on the battlefield has deterred Western governments from providing the rebels with more than non-lethal assistance for fear that any weapons supplied might fall into jihadist hands.
President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that France was in favor of sending weapons to the FSA, but only "in a controlled environment" and "with a number of countries".
"The Russians regularly send (weapons) but we will do it in a broader context, with a number of countries and a framework which can be controlled, because we cannot have a situation where weapons end up with Islamists," Hollande said.
"We always said we wanted to control the supply of weapons if we did this, so that they go to the FSA," he added.
Washington too has repeatedly expressed concern about the risks of weaponry ending up in the hands of groups loyal to Al-Qaida.
On the diplomatic front, meanwhile, U.N. envoys were set to resume talks on a draft Security Council resolution that would enshrine a joint U.S.-Russian plan to secure and neutralise Assad's banned chemical weapons.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that a U.N. report has proved the Syrian regime was behind a deadly chemical weapons attack in August that killed hundreds of civilians.
And Iranian President Hassan Rowhani, writing in The Washington Post, announced Tehran's "readiness" to facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition.
20 September 2013, 10:25
176
"لا تسألني كيف وليش , ما حمانا غير الجيش, حمص ودرعا ودير الزور, ما بدهم إلا الدكتور"
20 September 2013, 10:31
1018
The Syria Opposition condemns jihadist attacks on rebels? LOL are they schizophrenic? The rebels ARE jihadists. The rebels ARE Al Qaeda. The rebels ARE terrorists. FSA-Al Qaeda is attacking itself.
20 September 2013, 10:55
1610
I can understand why people like you cant comprehend the fact that fsa and qaida are different groups,after all you have been indoctrinated for years to follow the commands of the one dictator, the entire Syria is al baath and the entire baath is assad.There can not be a person in Syria who is allowed to differ from what assad says and hence you obviously can not comprehend that FSA and qaida are not the same.
20 September 2013, 11:06
1217
I was resisting the Syrian occupation since before people like you were born. While the people you worship (i.e. the February 14 Saudi-Wahabi coalition) were shining their boots and serving them Barazek, we were getting hosed down with water sprays and being beaten up by their cronies. It's only when they finally left Lebanon and the occupation ended that you decided to begin "resisting" them.
People like you and your masters know nothing of dignity and proper peaceful resistance. FSA-Al Qaeda is nothing but another terrorist organization created and funded by the same terrorist entity (i.e. the kingdom of terrorism) that owns the February 14 clowns.
20 September 2013, 11:41
149
"were shining their boots and serving them Barazek" just like M8 now... why criticize a thing you still do? LOL!
"we were getting hosed down with water sprays and being beaten up by their cronies"
you forgot the lebanese prisoners in syria which your beloved aoun told their mothers to FORGET! LOL
"proper peaceful resistance." = it was peaceful but your beloved bashar shot them like rabbits, you wouldn't have taken arms to defend yourself? LOL!!!
and a weak mind like yours cannot figure that the opposition is split just like bashar wanted it by encouraging islamists... you cannot understand that fsa and alqaeda are two seperate things... poor you....
20 September 2013, 14:10
512
Flamecatcher, reality disagrees. At least 50% are hardliners, and one must bare in mind that it's not binary, the opposition. There's a spectrum that must be follow. From 50% on, it's not hard to imagine how much force the secularists make. During the first phases I would have agreed, and was a proponent of arming them and let them battle it out, whoever wins has the right to rule. Nowadays, I don't think believe that. A political solution followed by a united sweeping of terrorists is the way to go imo.
20 September 2013, 17:15
46
It's amazing how you come out in force here and not a word on the tripoli bombing. Walk even Assad said the jihadists were the minority at the beginning of the revolution up until late last year. His murder and rape would turn anyone into an extremist. And the rest were only too willing to come in from all over.
20 September 2013, 17:16
45
And I don't care what they do in Syria. But at least there MIGHT be a chance they stop attacking and bombing and assasinating Lebanon. Which is being done by Assad with absolute proof.
20 September 2013, 23:30
92
They WERE not Qaeda. They WERE not terrorists. Bashar created this hell by refusing to speak with folks who wanted change after 50 years of boring Assads. Qaeda and terrorists took advantage of the vacuum.
21 September 2013, 09:13
11
don't even bother to explain things to them--they have been taught not to think and anyone not with against the farsi trinity is automatically m14/jihadist/takfiri/zionists/martian.
sad state of affairs, isn't it
20 September 2013, 11:19
168
karim... pardon me... but you're an imbecile! You won't understand facts because your ideology is soo deeply rooted in your thick tiny skull!
Also understand that many people who are m14 today simply are against the syrian influence in Lebanon. Some m14 leaders turned their backs to the syrian regime (and for some they paid the price with their life), and others always opposed it. You also have people, like me, who will always support those who oppose the syrian regime... Aoun at a time (even though he was already a nut case)... m14 today! You choose to follow people like Aoun I suppose, only because they oppose m14...despite the fact that he became a syrian boot licker... ew!
As for the wahabi this and wahabi that... please... it is ridiculous... no one wants anything to do with wahabism... you are troubled in your mind man...
20 September 2013, 11:34
816
I think you are having problem understanding Karim: Not because his wording are difficult to understand but because your faith limits your brain to believe beyond the petro-doolar you are receiving. Again,what Karim is saying: we defended Lebanon when Lebanon needed a defense. But when we are faced to choose between cannibals and Baath, the choice is obvious. And all of this sugar coating of the "some rebels" are good is rubbish. Look at the Egyptian brotherhood: FSA at best is a Muslim brotherhood yet: they were classified CRIMINALS in Egypt
20 September 2013, 17:19
63
Oh you choose Assad sending bombs with smaha. You choose Assad organizing the tripoli bombing. At least we know where your loyalty lies. And Lebanon is not it for sure.
20 September 2013, 11:51
126
Karim: you don't know how old I am and you assumed that I support M14, two major assumptions that your rant you call an opinion is based on. The only people serving barazek and who made the downtown into a world class ghetto are the supporters of the Syrian Baath in Lebanon. So please don't tell me that in your past you resisted Syrians but now your ok with the assad and his inglorious bastards because your truly don't believe that the Syrians have an alternative, you remind of a politician who spent years in France fighting against the Syrians and lobbying in the US only to magically make peace with his enemy for some reason no one can understand
20 September 2013, 12:07
118
I agree that we cant have another enemy on the door, this includes the Syrian Baath who have proven recently with their explosive messages that they are no friend of lebanon, mishel smeha, sheikh gharib in tripoly, ALL are from the Syrian regime. These guys are not our friends!!
20 September 2013, 12:54
114
Southern: I think we all wish that a better change can occur for the Syrians and I wish i can be as optimistic as you are but looking at how the regime reacted to the initial and peaceful demonstrations, i don't get encouraged that we as Lebanese can induce any change with this regime and yes i agree with you that we don't need Afghanistan and neither do the Syrians, they also will not let that happen.
20 September 2013, 13:32
32
South: I think we all wish to change the best that can happen to the Syrians and I wish I could be optimistic as you, but looking at how the system reacts to the initial peaceful demonstrations
20 September 2013, 13:45
45
I will start by saying i'm sorry, i usualy donnot leave messages bit today i'm fed up...
Karim i was in 7august when the army and moukhabarat came under the guidance of ur new friends (jamil el sayed and others) and did what u all remember (at least i hope u still remember this..) i was there with a bunch of people, from tayyar (then), kateeb, even yassar democrateh and guess what a lot of us cannot understand what happened to u guys? What changed? Surian regime is not the one that stoled our liberty? put us in jail? Followed us(via his lebanese allies of choukran souria..) now all that vanished?
How can u not accept the fact that this regime that huerted us so much during more than 30years is not to be hated by his own population?
U know what this regime dod to us, can u imagin what it was to live in syria under this regime? All the syrian tha were "suicided"?, all those jailed for year..and still u deny them the right to fight for their freedome?
20 September 2013, 13:46
47
I can understand why march 8 is with the regime (always was)and i can even understand why some of march14 would be woth it (kamenn kenno helafe2onn),but people like u?why? How did u turned to be like this...
For the sake of all those who died fighting for freedome in lebanon, for the sake of our comrade beatten and jailed for saying souriya tla3eh barra,for the sake of history not to blame us, please stop being dumn...
I'm sorry again,i know i hv to understand and accept different points of views, but guys like u karim really make me sick...
20 September 2013, 15:00
23
How productive southern, really thank u for ur unvaluable coments...
But guess what lebanese resistance was not all the same, there was people fighting against israely invadors in the south for lebanon and freedome, and other shoutting them in the back while doing so...
As a southern u should know that.. But i guess that history rewritten by hez....
And u know what south lebanon army (jech lahed) and hez looks a lot alike, both persecuted true resistants, both had lebanese ID (jech lahed was a part of tbe lebanese army) but both has allegeance to external powers and were readdy to kill other lebanese for those powers and both of them thought they were fighting for "their" lebanon....
I donno if u really lived in south... Maybe u forgot.. Maybe i got it wrong..
20 September 2013, 15:54
45
Al manar a small french secret service fabrikated more than 100 000 dead 2years of represion and thousand of missing people...
Don't worry ma fi chi bi souria..
Like those idiots in lebanon saying for 2 years"there is no syrian refugies in lebanon" bass nezhinn, "we are against making camps for the refugies, and now that we have arround 1million of nezhin in lebanon living in shit thay just woke up....
What a nice world...
20 September 2013, 15:58
44
And flamethrower hashem minkara u know the nice guy in tripoli wou implyed charia during civil war and still preaching for it guess who sent him back from syria, cheker el abssi came from there to, even fabricated "abou adass also"and the list is long..
This is without counting all the jihadist they sent to irak.. Like benladen and the us in afganistan against the red army...
Maybe assad can call some of his fanatic friends to see if he can ease them a litle bit....
20 September 2013, 16:08
94
Our last protection against the al Qaeda is a strong FSA. Not the criminal regime of assad or the iranian milicia.
20 September 2013, 16:43
114
the only way to save Lebanon is to get rid of Bashar and qaeda. easy to say. I know.
21 September 2013, 00:58
51
I have one question for the Assad defenders here. One question I would like an answer to. The two clerks that the Syrian officer worked with to kill in Tripoli they are not radical islamist al-Qaeda terrorists or whatever? or are they secular clerks that are fun loving just misunderstood?
21 September 2013, 01:01
00
But the government said all the rebels are terrorists? They say there are 1200 groups then they say they're all Al Qaeda. Why would there be so many groups if they are all from one group? Don't think about it too hard if you're a brainwashed supporter of Assad because it will hurt your head.
21 September 2013, 09:17
00
the ENEMIES of lebanon include SYRIA and their allies since they have done more to destabilize Lebanon than all other groups combined. Stop points to zionists as the only enemy. How many pro syrian politicians have been assassinated again? Now compare that figure to the anti-syrian politicians that were assassinated?
I am assuming at 12 years old you can do basic math, and then you can make up stuff on people like Samaha.
