Mainstream Syrian rebels are facing a difficult choice: accept the terms of amnesty set by President Assad, fight against the regime alongside extremist groups, or flee Syria entirely. Photo: Erin Trieb for The Wall Street Journal
Sam Dagher, Wall Street Journal: Moderate Syrian Rebels Torn Between Giving Up, Joining Islamic Extremists
Cornered and weakened, they can accept a settlement with the Assad regime or fight alongside al Qaeda’s Islamist allies
YAYLADAGI, Turkey—Ali Othman is among a shrinking band of Syrian rebels in the mountains across from this border town who face an agonizing choice: accept a settlement with a regime they revile or fight alongside al Qaeda’s Islamist allies.
The Syrian army defector and his fellow fighters say they are weakened and cornered after enduring months of bombardment from Russian forces buttressing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Peace talks ended last month without progress amid a major escalation in violence in the northern city of Aleppo. On Thursday, a day after the U.S. announced a deal with Russia on a fresh cease-fire in Aleppo, Islamist groups targeted regime-held areas of the city with rocket, mortar and sniper fire, according to Syrian state media and U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“My wife begs me almost each day to leave the mountains,” Mr. Othman, 26 years old, said during a recent visit with his family in Turkey. “She keeps asking me: `Why are you still fighting?’”
Read more ....
WNU Editor: This says it all ....
.... Mr. Othman says his group’s backers have included the U.S., France, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. But it now numbers less than 500 fighters, down from about 2,800 a year ago, he said.
“Many people in my group are either dead or maimed,” said Mr. Othman. “We can’t fight alone,” he added, referring to the need to cooperate with Islamist factions like Nusra even though he and others might dread them.
Down to 500 fighters from 2,800 .... most killed or maimed. And in its wings Al Qaeda is preparing to launch their own Islamic State in Syria .... Al-Qaeda could be preparing to launch own 'Islamic State' in Syria after exploiting world's focus on Isis (The Independent).
3 comments:
Lay
down
your
weapons.
For some of the "Unicorns", the choice is not that simple.
Many are basically "Street Gangs" that control a few square blocks of territory. Some "invited" ISIS or al Quida in to either help them with an offensive, or defend the area against other "gangs", or help repel R+6 Offensives.
Now al Quida or ISIS "dominate" their neighborhoods. If they surrender or try to lay down arms, ISIS or al Quida will execute them and their families.
Other's, their entire existence is due to foreign sponsors funding and criminal activities, and because their sponsors don't want them to lay down arms, know that they will be broke and starving if they don't follow orders.
It's important to understand what can happen when you decide to "lay down with dogs", a lesson the West has never learned, or never really suffered the consequences of,
Yet.
Give it time Jay. Give it time.
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