Misplaced Pages

Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian civil war: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 17:23, 9 January 2014 editEkoGraf (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users61,408 edits →Open warfare← Previous edit Revision as of 17:24, 9 January 2014 edit undoEkoGraf (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users61,408 editsm →Open warfareNext edit →
Line 59: Line 59:
On 7 January, it was confirmed that 34 foreign ISIS and Jund al-Aqsa fighters had been executed in the previous few days by rebels in the Jabal al-Zawiya area.<ref name=AFP6Jan/> ISIS retreated from ] in ], without any fighting with rebel forces.<ref></ref> 100 ISIS fighters were besieged in the police department in the Salhin neighbourhood in ] city, while rebels captured the villages of Ihris, Misqan and Ma'arsata and the Tader roundabout, between ] and ]. ISIS also attacked a rebel military police headquarters in the Qadi Askar neighbourhood of ].<ref></ref> East of ], in ], ISIS attacked a rebel headquarters killing 15 rebel fighters.<ref></ref> During the day, it was revealed that the previous evening ISIS executed up to 50 prisoners in the Qadi al-Askar district of ]. The dead included media activists, relief workers and other civilians.<ref name=aje7jan>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/al-qaeda-linked-group-kills-aleppo-captives-2014175161198234.html|title=Al-Qaeda group kills Aleppo prisoners: report|publisher=Al Jazeera English|date=7 January 2014|accessdate=8 January 2014}}</ref> According to the opposition ], 42 people were executed, including 21 rebel fighters and five media activists.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://azstarnet.com/ap/international/syria-rebels-seize-al-qaida-base-in-north/article_4d277c9b-d910-5b7a-80c7-4e290b4aaad4.html|title=Syria rebels seize al-Qaida base in north|publisher=Associated Press|date=8 January 2014|accessdate=8 January 2014}}</ref> Over five days, between 3 and 7 January, 385 people had been killed in the inter-rebel fighting.<ref name=nearly400/> On 7 January, it was confirmed that 34 foreign ISIS and Jund al-Aqsa fighters had been executed in the previous few days by rebels in the Jabal al-Zawiya area.<ref name=AFP6Jan/> ISIS retreated from ] in ], without any fighting with rebel forces.<ref></ref> 100 ISIS fighters were besieged in the police department in the Salhin neighbourhood in ] city, while rebels captured the villages of Ihris, Misqan and Ma'arsata and the Tader roundabout, between ] and ]. ISIS also attacked a rebel military police headquarters in the Qadi Askar neighbourhood of ].<ref></ref> East of ], in ], ISIS attacked a rebel headquarters killing 15 rebel fighters.<ref></ref> During the day, it was revealed that the previous evening ISIS executed up to 50 prisoners in the Qadi al-Askar district of ]. The dead included media activists, relief workers and other civilians.<ref name=aje7jan>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/al-qaeda-linked-group-kills-aleppo-captives-2014175161198234.html|title=Al-Qaeda group kills Aleppo prisoners: report|publisher=Al Jazeera English|date=7 January 2014|accessdate=8 January 2014}}</ref> According to the opposition ], 42 people were executed, including 21 rebel fighters and five media activists.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://azstarnet.com/ap/international/syria-rebels-seize-al-qaida-base-in-north/article_4d277c9b-d910-5b7a-80c7-4e290b4aaad4.html|title=Syria rebels seize al-Qaida base in north|publisher=Associated Press|date=8 January 2014|accessdate=8 January 2014}}</ref> Over five days, between 3 and 7 January, 385 people had been killed in the inter-rebel fighting.<ref name=nearly400/>


On 8 January, rebels captured the ISIS headquarters in Aleppo city at the Children's hospital in the Qadi Askar district. ISIS forces lost control over opposition-held areas of the city and retreated to Al-Inzarat on the northeastern outskirts of Aleppo. 300 hostages held by the radical jihadists were set free.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nowsyrialatestnews/529206-aleppo-free-of-isis-control|title=Aleppo free of ISIS control, rebel commander says|publisher=NOW News|date=8 January 2014|accessdate=8 January 2014}}</ref> In Ar-Raqqah, the hospital was abandoned, bodies were laying in the central square and there was no power or water leaving the city "completely paralyzed", according to an opposition activist. At this point, ISIS controlled two key routes out of Raqqa: to the east toward the Iraqi border and also the road north to the Turkish frontier.<ref></ref> The head of the Al Nusra Front, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, confirmed that fighting had taken place between his organization and ISIS and called for mediation and an end to the "infighting".<ref name=za8jan/> Late in the day, ISIS started a counter-attack as it launched car bomb assaults targeting opposition checkpoints. Three attacks took place in ], ] and ] in Aleppo Governorate]], Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said similar overnight attacks took place in in ] in the eastern ]. The attack in Al-Bab killed nine people.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nowsyrialatestnews/529393-jihadists-battle-back-in-north-syria-says-monitor|title=Jihadists battle back in north Syria, says monitor|publisher=NOW|date=9 January 2014}}</ref> On 8 January, rebels captured the ISIS headquarters in Aleppo city at the Children's hospital in the Qadi Askar district. ISIS forces lost control over opposition-held areas of the city and retreated to Al-Inzarat on the northeastern outskirts of Aleppo. 300 hostages held by the radical jihadists were set free.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nowsyrialatestnews/529206-aleppo-free-of-isis-control|title=Aleppo free of ISIS control, rebel commander says|publisher=NOW News|date=8 January 2014|accessdate=8 January 2014}}</ref> In Ar-Raqqah, the hospital was abandoned, bodies were laying in the central square and there was no power or water leaving the city "completely paralyzed", according to an opposition activist. At this point, ISIS controlled two key routes out of Raqqa: to the east toward the Iraqi border and also the road north to the Turkish frontier.<ref></ref> The head of the Al Nusra Front, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, confirmed that fighting had taken place between his organization and ISIS and called for mediation and an end to the "infighting".<ref name=za8jan/> Late in the day, ISIS started a counter-attack as it launched car bomb assaults targeting opposition checkpoints. Three attacks took place in ], ] and ] in Aleppo Governorate, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said similar overnight attacks took place in in ] in the eastern ]. The attack in Al-Bab killed nine people.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/nowsyrialatestnews/529393-jihadists-battle-back-in-north-syria-says-monitor|title=Jihadists battle back in north Syria, says monitor|publisher=NOW|date=9 January 2014}}</ref>


On 9 January, ISIS sent reinforcements from ] to back its fighters in the Aleppo countryside. According to local Residents, ISIS was preparing many suicide attacks in retaliation for the rebel attacks, and that their commanders were wearing explosive belts all the time. Dutch journalist Lex Runderkamp told Dutch news program NOS that the ISIS reinforcement convoy was 1,300 men strong, including ISIS special forces from Iraq.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nos.nl/video/593963-lex-runderkamp-1300-isissoldaten-onderweg-naar-aleppo.html|title=ISIS send 1300 men towards Aleppo|newspaper=NOS|date=9 January 2014}}</ref> In Ar-Raqqah, the rebels took control of the political intelligence building, which located 400 meters from the main ISIS headquarters. However, ISIS still controled the bridges leading into the city, which left people using boats to get into Ar-Raqqah.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-09/243563-jihadists-battle-back-in-north-syria-monitor.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|title=Jihadists battle back in north Syria: activists|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=9 January 2014}}</ref> On 9 January, ISIS sent reinforcements from ] to back its fighters in the Aleppo countryside. According to local Residents, ISIS was preparing many suicide attacks in retaliation for the rebel attacks, and that their commanders were wearing explosive belts all the time. Dutch journalist Lex Runderkamp told Dutch news program NOS that the ISIS reinforcement convoy was 1,300 men strong, including ISIS special forces from Iraq.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nos.nl/video/593963-lex-runderkamp-1300-isissoldaten-onderweg-naar-aleppo.html|title=ISIS send 1300 men towards Aleppo|newspaper=NOS|date=9 January 2014}}</ref> In Ar-Raqqah, the rebels took control of the political intelligence building, which located 400 meters from the main ISIS headquarters. However, ISIS still controled the bridges leading into the city, which left people using boats to get into Ar-Raqqah.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jan-09/243563-jihadists-battle-back-in-north-syria-monitor.ashx#axzz2oNa3sbT8|title=Jihadists battle back in north Syria: activists|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=9 January 2014}}</ref>

Revision as of 17:24, 9 January 2014

Syrian opposition–Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant conflict
Part of the Syrian civil war
Date2 January 2014 – ongoing
(11 years, 2 weeks and 1 day)
LocationNorth and east Syria
Result

Ongoing

  • ISIS attack on Atareb repelled; town still surrounded by ISIS
  • Rebels capture ISIS bases in 10 towns and villages, including Aleppo
  • Rebels besiege ISIS forces in six towns, including Ar-Raqqah
  • ISIS withdraws without resistance from four towns
  • Rebel attack on Darkush repelled
Belligerents

Syria Syria Revolutionaries Front
Syria Army of Mujahedeen
Islamic Front

Al Nusra Front

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Jund al-Aqsa
Commanders and leaders
Salim Idris
Ahmed Abu Issa		 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Abu Omar al-Shishani
Casualties and losses
198 killed 131 killed
310 captured

56 civilians killed

Total: 385 killed
Syrian civil war
Timeline
Civil uprising in Syria (March–August 2011)
Start of insurgency (Sept. 2011 – April 2012)
UN ceasefire; Rebel advances (May 2012 – Dec. 2013)
Rise of ISIS in 2014
U.S.-led intervention, Rebel and ISIL advances (Sept. 2014 – Sept. 2015)
Russian intervention (Sept. 2015 – March 2016)
Aleppo escalation and Euphrates Shield (March 2016 – February 2017)
Collapse of the Islamic State in Syria (Feb. – Nov. 2017)
Rebels in retreat and Operation Olive Branch
(Nov. 2017 – Sep. 2018)
Idlib demilitarization
(Sep. 2018 – April 2019)
First Idlib offensive, Operation Peace Spring, & Second Idlib offensive (April 2019 – March 2020)
Idlib ceasefire (March 2020 – Nov. 2024)
Opposition offensives and Assad overthrown (Nov. – Dec. 2024)
Transitional government and SNA–SDF conflict (Dec. 2024 – present)
Syrian War spillover and international incidents
Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war
Foreign intervention on behalf of Syrian Arab Republic

Foreign intervention in behalf of Syrian rebels

U.S.-led intervention against ISIL

The Syrian opposition–Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant conflict erupted between the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the Army of Mujahedeen and the Islamic Front (IF) on one side and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) on the other in early January 2014, during the Syrian Civil War.

Background

Tension between moderate rebel forces and the Al-Qaeda affiliate ISIS had been high since ISIS attacked and captured the border town of Azaz from FSA forces on 18 September 2013. Conflict was renewed over Azaz in early October and in late November ISIS captured the border town of Atme from an FSA brigade.

Open warfare

On 31 December 2013, the body of doctor and rebel commander Hussein Suleiman was handed over in a prisoner swap between ISIS and rival rebel forces. Suleiman was tortured and died in ISIS custody.

On the evening of 2 January 2014, ISIS forces attacked the rebel-held town of Atarib, where they were accused of two recent incidents of killing or kidnapping mainstream rebel commanders. On 3 January, several civilian protests, counting hundreds of people, were organised against ISIS and to commemorate the death of Suleiman across Aleppo Governorate. In the Idlib village of Kafr Takharim ISIS opened fire on the protesters. There were no reports of casualties. In response to the attack on the protesters, two newly formed Islamist rebel groups of the FSA attacked ISIS positions in more than half a dozen locations in the governorates of Aleppo and Idlib.

Rebels in Atarib managed to repel the ISIS attack on the town, after which the Al-Qaeda fighters were surrounded, resulting in the capture of a Tunisian commander, Abu Saber al-Tunisi. It was unclear if he was summarily executed by the rebels. 42 ISIS fighters were wounded in the fighting in Atarib, while an opposition media activist was killed while covering the clashes. Five other civilians were also killed in Atareb. There were unconfirmed reports of rebels arresting ISIS members in various towns and villages in Aleppo Governorate and Idlib Governorate. Fighting raged in the Idlib village of Maarrat Misrin, while in the village of Kafr Nabl rebel forces surrounded an ISIS facility, giving its fighters 24 hours to surrender. Meanwhile, the rebel Islamic Front, which was also engaged in the fighting against ISIS, sent reinforcements to the ISIS-held town of Azaz.

The opposition National Coalition and activists accused ISIS of serving the interests of the Syrian government by tarnishing the image of their uprising.

On 4 January, ISIS executed a captive rebel fighter in Saraqeb, while they were reported to be rounding up "suspect activists" in both Saraqeb and Kafr Nabl. In the Harem area, ISIS forces executed 30 captives, including civilians, after their base was surrounded by rebel forces. ISIS forces in Mushoon surrendered to the rebels, while in Salqin ISIS positions had been surrounded since the previous day. In Aleppo, fighting raged throughout the province, with rebel forces making advances against ISIS. Rebels captured the ISIS base at the sugar factory in Maskanah, as well as the Dabiq area and the town of Salloum. FSA units were reportedly making progress in Atareb, but ISIS was surrounding the town and shelling it.

ISIS was also on the offensive, attacking rebel positions and ambushing their forces in attacks that left 24 rebels dead. One attack included a car bomb.

At this point, ISIS gave a 24-hour ultimatum to rebel forces attacking them, saying that they would withdraw from Aleppo, allowing government forces to enter rebel territory, if they did not stop their attacks. The rebels reiterated an earlier call on ISIS fighters to defect to their side.

On 5 January, rebels captured an ISIS base in Manbij after heavy fighting. Clashes had also erupted in the town of Tabqa, in Ar-Raqqah Governorate, and fighting spread to the central Hama Governorate where ISIS killed seven rebel fighters. During the fighting in Manbij, ISIS used car bombs to defend its territory. Meanwhile, ISIS forces retreated from al-Dana and Atme in Idlib Governorate and started heading in the direction of Aleppo. Their positions were taken over by the Al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham groups, in a possible deal to avoid larger confrontations. ISIS also retreated from Darat Izza, while they managed to retain control of Saraqeb and Kafr Zita. ISIS reinforcements were dispatched from Ar-Raqqah to Aleppo. Overall, 66 combatants, including 11 ISIS fighters, were killed during the day.

According to the opposition Sham News Network, by this point, rebels had captured more than 80% of the ISIS-held Idlib countryside and 65% of ISIS territory in Aleppo and its countryside.

At the end of the day, ISIS forces were reportedly moving towards the Bab al-Salameh border crossing with Turkey in an apparent attempt to seize it. During the evening, rebels attacked ISIS forces in Ar-Raqqah.

By 6 January, rebels had besieged ISIS in its stronghold of Ar-Raqqah. During the fighting, rebels released 50 prisoners from ISIS custody. Among those rescued was a Turkish news photographer who had been kidnapped since December 2013. 10 Syrian Kurdish prisoners also managed to escape. 70 ISIS and 20 rebel fighters had been killed since the rebel attack on Ar-Raqqah started, according to a rebel officer who expected that it would take them at least a week to drive the al-Qaida linked militants out of the city. Meanwhile, ISIS detonated a car bomb by a rebel checkpoint near the town of Darkush, where the previous night rebels attacked an ISIS base and besieged it until ISIS reinforcements broke the siege. 20 rebel fighters were killed in the suicide attack on the checkpoint. ISIS bases in the town of Tamani'a were also surrounded and fighting took place by al-Dana. ISIS fighters retreated from Kafr Zita, after the mediation of the al-Nusra Front, and the border town of Tal Abyss. In Jarablus, a mile and a half from the Turkish-Syrian border, there were conflicting reports with the Islamic Front stating they had overrun the local ISIS headquarters, with the ISIS denying that and insisting that the group was holding fast.

On 7 January, it was confirmed that 34 foreign ISIS and Jund al-Aqsa fighters had been executed in the previous few days by rebels in the Jabal al-Zawiya area. ISIS retreated from al-Mayadeen in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, without any fighting with rebel forces. 100 ISIS fighters were besieged in the police department in the Salhin neighbourhood in Aleppo city, while rebels captured the villages of Ihris, Misqan and Ma'arsata and the Tader roundabout, between al-Bab and Tedef. ISIS also attacked a rebel military police headquarters in the Qadi Askar neighbourhood of Aleppo. East of Rastan, in Homs Governorate, ISIS attacked a rebel headquarters killing 15 rebel fighters. During the day, it was revealed that the previous evening ISIS executed up to 50 prisoners in the Qadi al-Askar district of Aleppo. The dead included media activists, relief workers and other civilians. According to the opposition SOHR, 42 people were executed, including 21 rebel fighters and five media activists. Over five days, between 3 and 7 January, 385 people had been killed in the inter-rebel fighting.

On 8 January, rebels captured the ISIS headquarters in Aleppo city at the Children's hospital in the Qadi Askar district. ISIS forces lost control over opposition-held areas of the city and retreated to Al-Inzarat on the northeastern outskirts of Aleppo. 300 hostages held by the radical jihadists were set free. In Ar-Raqqah, the hospital was abandoned, bodies were laying in the central square and there was no power or water leaving the city "completely paralyzed", according to an opposition activist. At this point, ISIS controlled two key routes out of Raqqa: to the east toward the Iraqi border and also the road north to the Turkish frontier. The head of the Al Nusra Front, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, confirmed that fighting had taken place between his organization and ISIS and called for mediation and an end to the "infighting". Late in the day, ISIS started a counter-attack as it launched car bomb assaults targeting opposition checkpoints. Three attacks took place in Al-Bab, Hreitan and Jarabulus in Aleppo Governorate, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said similar overnight attacks took place in in [[Aleppo Governorate, while one occured in Mayadin in the eastern Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The attack in Al-Bab killed nine people.

On 9 January, ISIS sent reinforcements from Deir ez-Zor to back its fighters in the Aleppo countryside. According to local Residents, ISIS was preparing many suicide attacks in retaliation for the rebel attacks, and that their commanders were wearing explosive belts all the time. Dutch journalist Lex Runderkamp told Dutch news program NOS that the ISIS reinforcement convoy was 1,300 men strong, including ISIS special forces from Iraq. In Ar-Raqqah, the rebels took control of the political intelligence building, which located 400 meters from the main ISIS headquarters. However, ISIS still controled the bridges leading into the city, which left people using boats to get into Ar-Raqqah.

References

  1. ^ "Al Qaida rebels leave mass grave behind as they desert base in Syria". McClatchy. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  2. ^ "Syria rebels fight back against ISIS". The Daily Star. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Jihadists kill 31 rebels in Syria: monitor". AFP. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Al-Qaeda's ISIL vows to 'crush' Syrian rebels". Zaman Alwsl. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  5. ^ "34 jihadists dead after rebel clashes in Syria's Idlib: activists". AFP. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Nearly 400 die in 5 days of fighting in Syria". EFE. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  7. "Rebels issue ultimatum to al Qaeda in Syria: Surrender or face 'a massacre'". NBC news. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  8. "Al-Qaida militants captured town in northern Syria". AP. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  9. "Syrian rebel factions tell al Qaeda groups to withdraw". 3 October 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  10. "ISIL captures Syrian town on border with Turkey". World Bulletin. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Syrian rebels launch fierce offensive against al Qaeda fighters". Reuters. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  12. "Final death toll for Friday 3/1/2014 : 165 people killed in Syria". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  13. "New Syria rebel alliance declares war on Al Qaida". AFP. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Idlib province". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Al-Qaeda-linked Isis under attack in northern Syria". BBC. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  16. "Aleppo province". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  17. "Syria rebels unite and launch new revolt, against jihadists". AFP. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  18. ^ "Across parts of northern Syria, rebels battle al-Qaida-linked insurgents". AP. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  19. "Syrian rebels push al-Qaeda back". Al Arabiya News. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  20. "Al Qaida fighters pushed from much of northern Syria, but fighting still rages". McClatchy. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  21. 137 died yesterday, including 93 of the Islamic state and battalion combat
  22. "Al Qaeda-linked group routed in Syrian rebel infighting". Los Angeles Times. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  23. "Relatively moderate Syrian rebels gain against Islamic extremists". Los Angeles Times. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  24. ^ "Syrian rebels pin down al-Qaida-linked fighters". Washington Post. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  25. "Syria rebels lay siege to Qaeda-linked jihadists". AFP. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  26. ^ Idlib province
  27. 20 fighter spent detonated the car bomb Bdrickosh
  28. Hama province
  29. Raqqah province
  30. "Syrian rebel infighting spreads to stronghold in east". Los Angeles Times. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  31. Deir Ezzour province
  32. Aleppo province
  33. Clashes Athalasalamahtantql to Homs and killed 15 fighters in the vicinity of Rastan
  34. "Al-Qaeda group kills Aleppo prisoners: report". Al Jazeera English. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  35. "Syria rebels seize al-Qaida base in north". Associated Press. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  36. "Aleppo free of ISIS control, rebel commander says". NOW News. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  37. As Rebels Fight Rebels, Grim Reports From A Syrian City
  38. "Jihadists battle back in north Syria, says monitor". NOW. 9 January 2014.
  39. "ISIS send 1300 men towards Aleppo". NOS. 9 January 2014.
  40. "Jihadists battle back in north Syria: activists". The Daily Star. 9 January 2014.
Categories:
Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian civil war: Difference between revisions Add topic