“Jabhat Fateh al-Sham [the renamed jihadi group Jabhat al-Nusra] are among us, that is true,” said Dawood Mahmudi, a senior rebel based in east Aleppo. “They are here because no one else is. They have kept the city open and have reopened it when it was besieged. Where were Russia and the US then? I’ll tell you where, the US was nowhere, and Russia was bombing us. And now they say ‘trust us’.”
In Idlib province, to the north-west of Aleppo, where Jabhat Fateh al-Sham has a stronger presence than in Aleppo, there was also resistance to surrendering jihadi groups who had emerged from the chaos of the Syrian war as protectors of some areas.
“They are from here and they are us,” said Abu Towfik, an elder in the town of Saraqeb, whose three brothers fight with the jihadi group. “They would not be the strongest group if help had come earlier.”
By changing its name in July and severing overt links to al-Qaida, al-Nusra tried to reposition itself as a Syrian nationalist group that might be accepted as a legitimate entity within the opposition. Those plans were quickly dashed when Washington added the renamed group to its list of proscribed terror organisations. US officials continue to believe that some elements of it are using the chaos of Syria to plan attacks in Europe and beyond.
The staunch position against the jihadis is lost on some senior rebels. “So, assuming [the truce] does hold over the festival, how can anyone take them on their word to allow supplies into Aleppo?” asked Mahmudi. “We are blocked from both ends. The only people that have managed to open these roads for us are Nusra and [opposition group] Ahrar al-Sham. Now one of them is supposed to be our enemy, and the other group we’re supposed to be sure about.
“Bombing us indiscriminately, and with total impunity, has made these people strong. Does no one understand that?”
While expressing “profound unease” at partnering with Russia to ease the war in Syria, one US official said that Moscow now had a lot to gain by being seen to be bringing the war to an end. “They have bombed the place into submission, while we have looked the other way,” he added, refusing to put his name to his views. “They have brought death and destruction, and now they are saying we can bring you life. They want this to work. We’ll see.”
Opposition figures expressed misgivings. “We have doubts regarding the feasibility of such an agreement in its current form and the track record of Russia and the regime,” said Labib al-Nahhas, a senior member of the Ahrar al-Sham political office.
“We also have some major concerns related to specific points that need clarification. The timing and structure of the deal as it looks now is biased towards Russia’s interests. There is complete lack of trust in the Russians, and the fact that the Assad air force will not be grounded from day one is a very negative signal.”
Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09
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