Al Qaeda-linked rebel leader reported killed in Syria.

Al Qaeda-linked rebel leader reported killed in Syria.

Los Angle Time | 24 Sep 2013 :: A leader of an Al Qaeda-linked rebel group in Syria has been assassinated, activists said Monday, further inflaming hostilities between opposition fighters and potentially throwing into greater disarray those trying to oust PresidentBashar Assad.

Abu Abdullah Libi, the self-styled emir of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in the northern province of Idlib, was killed Sunday when the vehicle he was riding in was sprayed with bullets, rebels and activists said.

One activist with close ties to the Islamic State said Libi was probably on his way to the village of Hazano, where fighting between his group and mainstream Free Syrian Army rebels erupted earlier in the day, in a bid to negotiate a cease-fire.

As Libi passed through a Free Syrian Army checkpoint, his vehicle came under fire from several directions, said the activist, who goes by the alias Junood for security reasons. Other activists and rebels said the ambush happened on a stretch of highway not controlled by any one group and was carried out by unknown assailants.

A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army denied that its fighters were involved, although the group is far from cohesive.

The incident is certain to cause a further fracturing of the relationship between the two rebel groups, which have by turns fought alongside and against each other.  Activists in Idlib said they feared the Islamic State would retaliate and there would be more fighting.

That would be one more setback for the rebels, whose foreign backers have been slow to send promised military aid because of fears that extremists in their midst are gaining influence.  Fighters within the Free Syrian Army increasingly accuse the Islamic State of being interested only in seizing areas already controlled by the opposition to establish an Islamic caliphate.(Courtesy:Los Angle Time)

Al-Qaeda is Taking the Lead in Fighting Bashar Al-Assad.

Al-Qaeda is Taking the Lead in Fighting Bashar Al-Assad.

14 Aug 2013 :: A renamed version of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) now known as the Islamic State of Iraq is gaining ground in Syria. It is establishing itself in the northern and northeastern parts of the country. With the Syrian opposition extremely divided, Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups are being able to find breathing space and establish themselves in various territories across Syria. Islamic extremist groups have been by far the most successful during encountering al-Assad's forces. As such groups gain a foothold in the civil war, a post-al-Assad future (should his regime fall) could well see a Syria rampant with Islamic extremism and Al-Qaeda affiliated groups.

Recently attempts are being made to unite the Syrian rebels. The Syrian opposition in total consists of approximately nine to eleven different groups. These groups do not agree on religious ideology, a political framework, or a coordinated plan to fight the government, and most importantly have different and divergent views regarding a post-al-Assad Syria. Put simply, a mutual hostility to the al-Assad regime is all that these groups have in common. It is important to realize that with such fundamental differences in place, especially in matters of ideology and religion, it would be naïve to expect a united Syrian opposition that actually functions as a single coordinated unit anytime soon.

Out of these divided groups, the Al-Qaeda affiliated groups and other Islamic extremist groups seem to be enjoying the most success against government forces. The Islamic State of Iraq group with its radical ideology and tactics such as kidnappings and beheadings has stamped its identity on the communities in which it is present, including, crucially, ­areas surrounding the main border crossings with Turkey. Similarly, Jabhat Al-Nusra, another prominent opposition group whichopenly declared its allegiance to Ayman Al-Zawahiri and Al-Qaeda, is not only faring well in the fight against rime forces but is also gaining recruits from the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

These groups have managed to establish a number of no-go areas in the northern and north eastern parts of the country. Civilian activists, rival rebel commanders and Westerners, including more than a dozen journalists and relief workers, have been assassinated or abducted in recent months in areas where the Islamic State has a presence. Most of the cases are being kept quiet for fear of jeopardizing the victims’ release.(Courtesy : Policymic )