Syrian Rebel Groups Merge To Take On Assad In Dera’a, But Deep Divisions Remain
June 26 2015
Syrian rebels launched a major joint offensive Wednesday against President Bashar Assad’s forces in Dera’a, south of the capital Damascus, where the revolution began in 2011. The two main factions now fighting together against the regime there are among the strongest opposition groups in the country, and they may have a chance to inflict severe damage on the Assad’s forces. Yet, even though they were formed from the remnants of the original Free Syrian Army (FSA), they have different ideologies and are not ready to share leadership, fighters with both factions told International Business Times.
Jaysh al Fatah (Arabic for “Army of Conquest”) partnered with the group known as the Southern Front -- as well as with some battalions in
the al Qaeda offshoot in Syria, known as Jabhat al Nusra or the Nusra Front -- in a new offensive called Southern Storm.
Syrian Rebel Groups Merge To Take On Assad In Dera?a, But Deep Divisions Remain