Inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian civil war
The inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War has continued throughout the Syrian Civil War as factions of the Syrian opposition and Free Syrian Army have fought each other, with shifting alliances among various Islamist factions such as Jabhat al Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, Jaysh al-Islam and the Islamic Front.
This article is about the conflict between most Syrian rebel groups. For the conflict between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Islamist rebel groups, see Rojava–Islamist conflict. For the conflict between rebel groups and ISIL, see Opposition–ISIL conflict during the Syrian civil war.Background[edit]
Free Syrian Army–al-Nusra Front tensions[edit]
On 26 July 2012, FSA fighters stormed an outpost near a border crossing with Turkey in northern Syria manned by 40 foreign al-Qaeda fighters which held John Cantlie and several other journalists prisoners. The journalists escaped to the border crossing during the infighting and the al-Qaeda fighters fired at them.[13]
The Free Syrian Army clashed with Jabhat al Nusra on various occasions in 2013.[14] In March 2013, the al-Nusra Front set up a checkpoint and captured 33 fighters from the Farouq Brigades in Tell Abyad. Clashes between the two groups resulted in the Farouq commander, Abu Azzam, being wounded in action. He and other wounded rebels were transferred to a hospital in Şanlıurfa, Turkey. The next week, the 33 Farouq prisoners were released and the border crossing was reopened.[15]