Syrian rebel groups fracture over how to approach peace talks

BEIRUT — Syria’s ragtag rebel groups and insurgents trying to oust President Bashar Assad have turned their guns on each other in some of the worst infighting yet, with al-Qaida-linked fighters battling other factions in a split between supporters and opponents of the Russian-led push for a new peace process for the war-torn country.

The clashes — mainly in opposition-held areas in northern Syria — have led to the formation of two new coalitions but have also raised the specter of more fractures among rebel factions, already struggling to recover from their December loss of the eastern half of the city of Aleppo to Assad’s forces.

At the root of the infighting is a call that came at the end of the peace talks last month in the Kazakh capital of Astana. Russia, Turkey and Iran — sponsors of the gathering — urged Syria’s rebels to dissociate themselves from al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria, now known as the Fatah al-Sham Front.

The Astana meeting was designed to pave the way for political talks to be held in Geneva in late February but it also marked a new push in efforts to resolve Syria’s conflict, with Russia and Iran, Assad’s main supporters, and Turkey, the rebels’ chief backer, pledging to put their influence behind the truce. The United States, busy with the presidential transition, played no significant role in Astana.

The Fatah al-Sham Front, previously called the Nusra Front, has been excluded from all negotiations and ceasefires, along with the Islamic State group — both considered by the international community to be terrorist organizations.

For the rebels, however, the exclusion of al-Qaida’s affiliate is a sore point as many groups have close links with it on the ground, perceiving it to be the most powerful force against Assad’s army and allied militiamen.

Fatah al-Sham signaled its determination to fight back — even as the rebels were still sitting at the table in Astana.

On Jan. 23, Fatah al-Sham fighters surrounded the offices in Idlib province belonging to one of the rebel groups that had sent representatives to Astana, the U.S.-backed Jaish al-Mujadeen, and hours later, forced its fighters to surrender.

“Al-Qaida has been waging a campaign to sideline and ultimately eliminate moderate opposition groups since it entered Syria,” said Jennifer Cafarella of the Washingtonbased Institute for the Study of War.

Al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria, which lost many senior leaders in targeted assassinations in recent months, had accused Jaish al-Mujahdeen of giving the U.S.-led coalition intelligence on the location of their commanders and top figures.

The Idlib attack was not the first assault by al-Qaida’s fighters — the militants have on several occasions since late 2014 defeated moderate rebel factions, including those backed by the United States. But the Jan. 23 fighting quickly escalated to include other groups, leading to fierce clashes between Fatah al-Sham and more moderate factions.

To seek protection from Fatah al-Sham, many small groups turned to the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham, one of Syria’s most powerful insurgent groups and a former ally of al-Qaida. This in turn led to the formation of two broad coalitions in northern Syria, effectively pitting Fatah al-Sham against Ahrar alSham.