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Rebels reject Western-backed coalition
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More than a dozen key Syrian rebel groups said yesterday that they reject the authority of the Western-backed opposition coalition, as UN inspectors returned to the country to continue their investigation into chemical weapons attacks.
In a joint statement, 13 rebel groups, including a powerful al-Qaida-linked faction but also more mainstream forces, slammed the Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition, saying it no longer represented their interests.
The statement reflects the lack of unity between the political opposition, based in exile, and the disparate rebel groups fighting President Bashar Assad’s government in Syria’s civil war, which has killed over 100,000 people so far. It also highlights the growing irrelevance of the coalition and its military arm headed by General Salim Idris, who heads the Supreme Military Council supported by the West, amid increasing radicalization on the ground in Syria.
A video released online showed Abdel-Aziz Salameh, political chief of the Liwaa al-Tawheed brigade that is particularly strong in the city of Aleppo, reading the statement.
The signatories called on all military and civilian forces “to unite under a clear Islamic framework based on Shariah law, which should be the sole source of legislation” — an apparent reference to the al-Qaida faction’s aspirations to create an Islamic state in Syria.
It said the rebels do “not recognize” any future government formed outside Syria, insisting that forces fighting on the ground should be represented by “those who suffered and took part in the sacrifices.”
But the rebels themselves are also deeply divided, with many groups blaming jihadis and al-Qaida militants in their ranks for the West’s reluctance to intervene militarily in Syria or give them the advanced weapons they need. There is also growing concern that the dominant role the extremists are playing is discrediting the rebellion.
Abdelbaset Sieda, a senior member of the coalition, said the group learnt about the rebel statement from the media, adding that contacts were underway to determine how to deal with it.
Growing rebel infighting may further complicate the work of the UN chemical weapons inspectors who face enormous challenges on the ground, including maneuvering between rebel and government-controlled territory.
The visit of the six-member team, led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, follows a report by the inspectors after their previous trip in September, which said nerve agent sarin was used in an August 21 attack near the capital, Damascus.
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