January 5, 2014
The situation is changing rapidly
in northern Syria as rebel fighters have launched widespread attacks against
the al-Qaeda affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in dozens of
locations in Idlib and Aleppo provinces. The situation began on the night of
Thursday January 2nd, when ISIS tried to storm the town of Atareb in Aleppo. Friday saw widespread protests across Syria against ISIS, even in
locations in the south such as Damascus and Deraa, which is unusual.
Concurrently, violent clashes broke out across northeastern Syria as rebel forces attacked ISIS fighters.
In addition to the ISIS
incursion into Atareb, citizens and rebel fighters have been increasingly upset
over ISIS persecution in northern Syria. One of the most recent incidents
includes the abduction, torture, and killing of the Ahrar al-Sham member Dr. Hussein al-Suleiman (aka Abu Rayyan), whose mutilated
body was found on Wednesday, January 1. Many of the protests on Friday included
slogans such as "We are all the shaheed Abu Rayyan," which alluded to the
anger over his death. In at least one village, ISIS opened fire
on unarmed protestors. ISIS also recently attacked media activists in the village of Kafrnabel, the "voice of the uprising," which
has become a symbol of the Syrian revolution for its stream of witty slogans
and caricatures. There have also been violent confrontations between Ahrar
al-Sham and ISIS in Maskanah, Aleppo in recent weeks.
Additionally, many Syrians hold the suspicion that ISIS
is actually working with the regime, claiming that the Syrian military does not
attack ISIS-held positions. These rumors have been flying wildly around social
media sites
in recent days as anti-ISIS sentiment bubbled to the surface, along with political
cartoons and hashtags.
Actions taken against ISIS
include the arrest of its fighters and commanders,
negotiations
for ISIS to leave certain areas, and violent confrontations. In many areas fierce battles
between ISIS and rebel groups are still ongoing, and ISIS has begun
using car bombs against rebel fighters. Chaos has reportedly
engulfed Jarablus, which is the town which ISIS possibly had the strongest
control over, with everyone including the Kurds rebelling against ISIS fighters
who have started acting
erratically according to sources in the area.
The three major rebel
coalitions involved in the attacks on ISIS, the: Islamic Front, Jaysh
al-Mujahideen, and the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, have all issued statements
detailing their grievances with ISIS and making demands for ISIS to withdraw.
These groups include Islamic factions, FSA-affiliated groups, and there are
even indications that Jabhat al-Nusra is involved.
In response ISIS has reportedly
pulled out of several towns that it controlled - including Atmeh and ad-Dana –
without a fight, and is bringing in reinforcements
from western provinces. This indicates that a large counteroffensive is
imminent and the rebels of northern Syria may not have long to revel in their
victories before ISIS hits back hard.
This fighting in Syria comes at
the same time when ISIS has gone on the offensive across the region. In Iraq
they have launched
offensives
to take urban centers. ISIS has also released a statement claiming
responsbility for a deadly
suicide bombing targeting Hezbollah in southern Beirut on January 2nd.
Although there have been
clashes and disputes between ISIS and other rebel groups before in Syria, the
scale of what is happening right now is unprecedented. This situation is still
incredibly fluid and volatile. Further updates will be posted as the details
become clearer.
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