photo: D. Gold
In what is becoming the new reality in Syria, a faction of rebel of Kurdish ethnicity is now pinning itself against other rebel factions, further muddling the picture of the war theatre in Syria.
Assad and his military were pushed out of the zone in Ras Al Ayn, where the Kurdish rebels have been able to get a purchase of the thin strip of land that defines their territory, but now they have to contend with other rebel forces that vie for the same territory.
Some rebels are switching sides, joining the Free Syrian Army, an act that does not always guarantee their safety.
Ras Al Ayn could be the harbinger of things to come in Syria, if the civil war does not come to a conclusion soon. Different ethnic groups fighting for what they see as their territory, different rebel groups intent at establishing strongholds for selfish interests, like Iraqi foreign fighters, and the regime itself, who will fight for the last inch of land, even if it means retaining power in a smaller portion of Syria itself.
Ras Al Ayn, is at the Turkish border, and has always been Kurdish territory, although it is inhabited by many different ethnic groups, including Christians, Armenians and Chechens who have always been able to live side by side peacefully.
The Kurdish rebels at first joined Al Nusra front, the radicalized Islamic rebel groups now playing a pivotal role in the Insurgency. That put them squarely in the path of the Free Syria rebel group.
Although there is a cease fire between the rebel groups at the moment, it was not easily achieved. And there is always the fear that clashes will begin anew.
The city itself is almost devoid of locals, and there is no electricity or water. The locals also complain that both the Kurdish rebels and the Free Syria Army are looting and stealing.
This sort of activity is troublesome, to say the least. The focus on fighting Bashar Al Assad, has all but been diluted by internecine clashes and vindications of some fatuous land right.
To make matters worse, although the city was one of the first to agitate for a removal of Assad, they now are seeing the Syrian Kurdish party basically declaring a truce with the regime itself.
This in turn is seen by some of the Free Syria Army as some sort of indication that the Kurdish rebels at the border are in fact working for the dictator, putting many of them at risk of retaliation.
The population of Ras Al Ayn in the meantime are nearing desperation. Here a great number of innocent civilians have been killed. And the locals do not necessary blame any rebel faction in particular. They just blame the war and hope they will see it end.
Partial source : NBC 4.22.13
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