Thursday, October 03, 2013

Rebel Infighting: Secular & Extremists Clash as Radicalism Grips Syria


Fresh clashes have erupted in Syria between secular rebels and Al Qaeda-linked extremists. It's the latest spate of infighting among the anti-Assad camp, which has seen a rapid rise of radicals in their numbers. Western analysts put the total number of rebels at around a hundred thousand. They're split into as many as a thousand different groups. Ten thousand fighters are radical jihadists with links to Al Qaeda. Up to 35 thousand others are hardline Islamists, who share many of Al Qaeda's views. That leaves the more moderate rebels vastly outnumbered. Let's get reaction from independent news editor James Corbett.