Al-Qaeda seizes weapons, bases from US-backed Syrian rebels in bold show of strength
Al-Qaeda militants swept through a rebel-held town in northern Syria in a display of dominance on Sunday, arresting United States-backed fighters and looting weapons stores belonging to the Free Syrian Army.
The militants belonging to the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front along with allied jihadists have been moving to exert their authority over rebel held areas in Idlib province since a partial ceasefire to the country’s five-year conflict took effect two weeks ago, extinguishing patriotic demonstrations and sidelining nationalist militias.
The Free Syrian Army’s 13th Division said on Twitter on Sunday that al-Nusra fighters were going door to door in the town of Maarat Numan and arresting its cadres after al-Nusra, alongside fighters from the Jund al-Aqsa faction, seized Division 13 posts the night before. Seven Division 13 fighters died in the clashes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said al-Nusra seized anti-tank missiles, armoured vehicles, a tank, and other arms from the division, which has received weapons, training, and money from the US government. It said al-Nusra and Jund al-Aqsa detained 40 fighters from the division.
Maarat Numan had a prewar population approaching 60,000 and saw some of the liveliest demonstrations calling for President Bashar Assad’s fall in rebel held areas over the last two weeks as the partial ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia brought relative peace to many beleaguered areas.