Islamic State, Syrian Rebels Strikes Ceasefire Deal Amidst U.S. War Against ISIL
Des Cambaliza | | Sep 14, 2014 05:42 AM EDT |
(Photo : REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh) A rebel fighter aims his weapon during a military display as part of a graduation ceremony at a camp in eastern al-Ghouta, near Damascus, September 4, 2014.
The Islamic State (ISIL) reportedly struck a cease-fire deal with moderate Syrian rebels, despite Syrian force's deepening alliance with the United States in its war against the ISIL. Brokered by Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra Front, the deal upholds the parties' principal agenda: overthrowing the Syrian government.
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ISIL and moderate Syrian fighters controlling Damascus' Hajar al-Aswad region agreed not to fight one another in the deal, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The agency said that the cease-fire deal would allow them to focus on the rebels' key motive, which is to overthrow the Assad regime.
In the deal, the parties must "respect a truce until a final solution is found and they promise not to attack each other because they consider the principal enemy to be the Nussayri regime," Agence France-Presse quoted.
"Nussayri" is an offensive term for the ethnic sect Shiite Alawite, where Syrian President Bashar Assad and many of his officials belong.
The signatories included the Free Syrian Army-linked Syria Revolutionary Front and three other moderate rebel groups, according to Charles Lister, a Brookings Institute analyst.
In addition, the American-backed Free Syrian Army said that they would not help the U.S. in its war against the ISIL until it assures them of Assad's downfall.
This statement and news of the deal raised doubts over U.S. President Barack Obama's strategy in choosing allies against the ISIL.
Thus, the U.S. administration affirmed that their coalition among Syrian rebels have been strengthened by improved intelligence.
The U.S. is not "starting from scratch," Ben Rhodes, U.S. deputy national security adviser, said. Rhodes also stated its confidence in its allies in Syria.
For instance, in March, Foreign Policy labeled the Syrian Revolutionary Front as American's best fighting chance against the Jihadist extremists.
However, Rhodes acknowledged that not all Syrian forces have passed the "screening" in identifying U.S. allies.
Not only this delayed the U.S. assistance in Syria, it also created an opportunity for the Islamists to make a move, such as striking a deal with the moderate rebels.
Now, an emerging concern for the U.S. is that the deal might inspire coalition with the militants if it guarantees Assad regime's defeat.
Reports said the deal was signed in a Syrian capital suburb controlled by ISIL. The group is reportedly preparing its forces in Syria as it anticipates US attacks after Obama announced war against them.
TagsISIL, Syrian rebels, Al Nusra Front, Al-qaeda, Bashar Assad, Barack Obama
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