BEIRUT (AP)
-- Western-backed opposition fighters and a faction of al-Qaida-linked
rebels turned their guns on each other Saturday in Syria's largest city,
battling for control of a key checkpoint in the latest eruption of
infighting among the forces trying to topple President Bashar Assad's
regime, activists said.
The clashes between
rebels affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and fighters from the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant underscored the growing phenomenon
of rebel-on-rebel violence that has sapped strength from the broader
anti-Assad movement. It also underscores the rebels' inability even more
than two years into the conflict to unite around a unified command, as
well as the deepening rift between more secular opposition fighters and
Islamic extremists in the rebel ranks.
The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday's
clashes were focused on the strategic checkpoint in Aleppo's Bustan
al-Qasr district that serves as the sole gateway between rebel-held
eastern districts and the government-controlled areas in the west.
Earlier this week, al-Qaida-linked militants seized the checkpoint and
closed it for several days, cutting the flow of food supplies to the
government-held quarters of the city. That spurred protests by residents
suffering from food shortages at the start of the Muslim Holy month of
Ramadan.
The Observatory said the fighting
rattled the neighborhood throughout the morning, but subsided by the
afternoon as the al-Qaida-linked rebels pulled out of the area. It was
not clear which group was in control of the checkpoint, where residents
were staging a protest to vent their anger at soaring food prices. The
area also witnessed clashes between rebels and government troops.
One
of the most troubling outbursts of infighting among opposition fighters
took place Friday, when the FSA said one of its commanders, Kamal
Hamami, was shot dead by al-Qaida militants in the Jabal al-Turkoman
mountain area in the coastal province of Latakia. Hamami, known as Abu
Basir, served in the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army, a
group headed by a secular-minded moderate that has the support of
Western powers.
Activists monitoring Syria's
more than 2-year-old conflict have previously reported sporadic
infighting among rebel groups over control of the territory they've
captured in the north along the border with Turkey. Those clashes were
mostly between Kurdish and Arab rebels, and have subsided since a
ceasefire agreement was reached earlier this year.
The
fighting between moderate and jihadi groups that have for months
battled Assad's regime together have become more frequent in recent
weeks. The clashes have largely focused on border crossings with Turkey
and vital installations, like bakeries, water wells, petrol stations and
checkpoints in the north, according to the Observatory.
Another
activist said the fighting is aimed at establishing control over the
flow of food and aid to the residents. Each group is also trying to set
up governing structures over the territory in the north the opposition
has controlled for a year and take a cut of money from goods being
smuggled into Syria over the border with Turkey.
The activists did not want to be quoted by name for fear of reprisal from both groups.
Militant
Islamic groups, including those with links to al-Qaida, have been the
most effective fighting force on the opposition side in the past year,
spearheading many of the attacks that captured military bases, towns and
villages and whole neighborhoods in Aleppo. In late February, Islamic
battalions led the assault and conquered the eastern city of Raqqa,
making it the first Syrian city to entirely fall under rebel control.
Moderate factions are now fighting jihadi groups for a say in running of
Raqqa.
In the central province of Homs, video
emerged Saturday that appeared to show a government airstrike on the
Krak des Chevaliers, one of the world's best-preserved Crusader castles.
Government troops have been pressing an offensive against rebels in the
province in recent months, and the town, which goes by the same name as
the castle, has been under attack by regime troops for the past four
days.
The Observatory said Syrian warplanes
carried out at least three airstrikes in the area on Friday, but the
activist group could not confirm whether the fortress itself had been
hit. It also said government forces have ordered residents to evacuate
the town, apparently in preparation for a full-scale attack on the area.
The
imposing Krak des Chevaliers, which towers above the surrounding
countryside from its hilltop perch, has a storied history. It held off a
siege by the Muslim warrior Saladin nearly 900 years ago, and was
lauded centuries later by Lawrence of Arabia for its beauty.
The
fortress has already been damaged over the course of the civil war, but
if the hit it took Friday is confirmed, it would mark the worst
destruction to the building so far.
An amateur
video posted to YouTube appeared to show a missile striking one of the
castle's towers, sending a plume of smoke and dust into the sky. The
off-camera narrator says the date is July 12, 2013. Another video
purportedly taken from inside showed a hole in the thick stone ceiling
of the castle, and a mound of debris and heavy stones under the open
roof.
The videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.
Many
of Syria's archaeological sites have been badly damaged by the
country's civil war. Aleppo's centuries-old covered market was gutted by
fire last year, while in April, the 11th-century minaret of the famed
Umayyad Mosque that towered over the narrow stone alleyways of Aleppo's
old quarter collapsed during fighting between troops and rebels.