Syria Rebels Turn Against Most Radical Group Tied to Al Qaeda
In some places, like Raqqa, the fighting has even pitted the two Qaeda-inspired groups against each other. Nusra’s leaders and supporters accuse ISIS of the grave error of focusing too soon on building a radical Islamic state, the ultimate goal for both groups, at the expense of the war against Mr. Assad. In the process, they say, it has alienated potential allies, civilians and militants alike.
While many here see the fighting as a wrestling match over the future character of the rebel opposition, experts say it has many other facets.
“It is a struggle for the heart and soul of jihadism, but it’s also a dirty little turf war,” said Aron Lund, who studies militant Islam and edits the Carnegie Endowment’s Syria In Crisis website.
At stake is power in the insurgency and over daily life in rebel-held northern Syria, where ISIS has sought to impose draconian religious rules and clamp down on public protest. The outcome is unclear, and different factions are fighting for different scenarios, whether to eradicate ISIS or bring it into the fold as more a cooperative participant in the insurgency.
A decisive victory over ISIS could lift the Syrian opposition ahead of planned peace talks in Switzerland on Jan. 22, if disparate factions show a new unity and coordination that they could use to regain momentum against the government. The timing has prompted speculation that the coalition of rebel leaders in exile, which has steadily been losing influence, or its regional and Western backers have encouraged or supported the fighting.
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