BEIRUT // An extremist group embroiled in infighting with one of the largest Syrian rebel groups yesterday pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda-linked militants in Syria.
The move threatens to deepen divisions in the already disparate insurgency.
The extremist group Jund Al Aqsa has been battling the powerful Ahrar Al Sham group in northern Syria for days, after Al Sham accused it of ambushing its leaders.
The infighting killed several Ahrar Al Sham members and stalled an offensive led by Jund Al Aqsa against government troops in Hama province.
Scores of Syrian rebel factions rallied behind Ahrar Al Sham, accusing Jund Al Aqsa of espousing extremist ideologies and seeking to dominate other rebel groups.
Rebel factions accused Jund Al Aqsa of serving ISIL, who are at odds with all Syrian insurgents including the Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat Fatah Al Sham. Fatah Al Sham yesterday said Jund Al Aqsa would join its ranks “to stop the bloodshed”.
The handwritten declaration was signed by Abu Mohammed Al Jolani, Fatah Al Sham’s leader, and the local commander of Jund Al Aqsa, Abu Diab Al Sarmini.
The declaration is expected to put an immediate end to the infighting because Jund Al Aqsa will now enjoy the protection of the powerful Fatah Al Sham.
But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported intense fighting in the northern province of Idlib after the declaration, which has also drawn criticism from other rebel groups, who view the move as divisive, providing cover for Jund Al Aqsa.
Charles Lister, a researcher who has focused on the Al Qaeda affiliate, said the move was a huge risk for Fatah Al Sham, as it might alienate other rebel groups.
A spokesman for Ahrar Al Sham said it was not consulted about the move, adding that it would continue its fight against Jund Al Aqsa.
“The decision to uproot them was taken in consultation with other rebel groups and we will not halt a task we started,” the spokesman said.
Yasser Alyousef, a member of the Nour Al Din Al Zinki rebel group, said it would hate to see Fatah Al Sham offer “refuge to extremists”, warning that it might lead to another incarnation of ISIL.
“All factions have united to fight against Jund Al Aqsa until it dissolves or is uprooted,” Mr Alyousef said.
“Any attempt to dilute the issue or offering superficial solutions is treason to the blood of martyrs.”
* Associated Press
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
