Syria insurgents go violent on each other

Syria insurgents go violent on each other
Sun Jul 14, 2013 11:25:09

Militants in Syria have clashed with their al-Qaeda-linked partners in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, showing deepening rifts among armed groups fighting against the government in the Arab country.

The infighting took place on Saturday, as militants of al-Qaeda offshoot engaged in a battle with members of the so-called Free Syrian Army in the city.

The battle erupted over the control of a key checkpoint earlier used by al-Qaeda militants to lay a siege on Bustan al-Qasr District.

The Qaeda militants seized the checkpoint last week and closed it for several days, preventing supplies from entering the city.

The blockade angered local people and sparked demonstrations against the foreign-backed militants.

Al-Qaeda linked militants have been a key assistant to the western-backed armed groups that have been conducting a massive bloody insurgency in Syria for more than two years.

Similar infighting also occurred between the two groups near Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Turkish border.

There are no reports on casualties from the clashes.

On Thursday, al-Qaeda militants killed a senior commander of the so-called Free Syrian Army, Kamal Hamami also known by his nom de guerre, Abu Bassel al-Ladkani, following a meeting with him to discuss battle plans in the Syrian port city of Latakia.

Over the past months, rivalries and infighting have been on the rise among highly-divided militants operating inside Syria.

On June 5, dozens of militants were killed and wounded as violent infighting broke out between several Takfiri groups in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, according to locals.

The conflict in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government has boosted its political and military support to Takfiri extremists.

Washington has remained indifferent about warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups.

 

SHI/SHI

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