Civil war within a civil war? Syrian rebel infighting raises new worries.
In Syria, Al Qaeda-linked rebel groups have been battling secular-leaning rebel groups near the Turkish border.
Syrian opposition fighters are seen at the top of a mountain in the vicinity of a rebel camp in Idlib province, Syria, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013.
AP
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Here鈥檚 more evidence that the Syrian civil war may be mutating into something messier:
That are actively fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad鈥檚 forces is no secret to anyone paying attention. While the US and its allies鈥擶estern and Arab鈥攈ave put their faith, funding, and to some degree, , many observers (not the least of which is Vladimir Putin) have warned that the growing presence of jihadis from Iraq, Chechnya, Jordan and elsewhere聽 threatens to send the conflict careering into dangerous new territory. At least one such group, Jabhat al-Nusra, has been slapped with a 鈥淔oreign Terrorist Organization鈥� designation by
The fighting this week between , is giving yet more credence to those fears, sending ripples of worry through policy makers鈥� minds . According to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS - sometimes called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), on Thursday pushed other rebel groups out of the northern Syrian town of Azaz, close to the Turkish border. The town is a key conduit for people and supplies coming in and out of Syria.
There is no definitive estimate of the numbers of Al Qaeda linked fighters in Syria. New research from the British defense consultancy IHS Jane鈥檚 puts estimates of the number of al-Qaeda-linked fighters at about 10,000鈥� or around one-tenth of the overall estimated number of insurgents fighting to topple Mr. Assad.听
The research was done by Jane鈥檚 analyst Charles Lister who predicted that internecine rebel warfare was inevitable.
The debate over and who was responsible for using has fixated the public for weeks now, momentarily eclipsing the discussion over what some are calling called .听
The UN Security Council this week will continue to take control of and destroy Assad鈥檚 chemical weapons. The devil is very much in the details, but if the seizure and destruction ever happens, it will be a small bright spot amid a violent and chaotic situation.
Will rebel infighting give Assad鈥檚 forces the upper hand in their effort to crush the insurgency? Do this week鈥檚 successes by Al Qaeda-linked groups along the Turkish border foreshadow similar efforts to come, as Mr. Lister predicts?
No one knows, but one thing鈥檚 sure: the Syrian war is likely going to get worse before it gets better.