BEIRUT -- Syria's ragtag rebel groups and insurgents trying to oust President Bashar Assad have turned their guns on one another in northern Syria.
The infighting -- some of the worst yet between supporters and opponents of the Russian-led push for a new peace process for the war-torn country -- comes as Syrian pro-government forces advance toward al-Bab, a strategic town in northern Syria. Al-Bab had been partially besieged by Turkey-backed opposition forces, and capturing the town would allow Turkish forces to prevent the Kurds from linking their enclaves in the west and east.
At the root of Syria's infighting is a call that came at the end of the peace talks last month in the Kazakh capital of Astana. Russia, Turkey and Iran -- sponsors of the gathering -- urged Syria's rebels to dissociate themselves from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. The group renounced its ties to al-Qaida in July 2016, but the U.S. still considers the group to be al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria.
Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, previously called the Nusra Front, has been excluded from all negotiations and cease-fires along with the Islamic State group, as both are considered by the international community to be terrorist organizations.
For the rebels, however, the exclusion of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham is a sore point. Many groups have close links with it on the ground, perceiving it to be the most powerful force against Assad's army and allied militiamen.
On Jan. 23, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham fighters surrounded the offices in Idlib province belonging to one of the rebel groups that had sent representatives to Astana, the U.S.-backed Jaish al-Mujadeen, and hours later, forced its fighters to surrender.
That fighting quickly escalated to include other groups, leading to fierce clashes between Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and more moderate factions.
To seek protection from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, many small groups turned to the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham, one of Syria's most powerful insurgent groups and a former ally of al-Qaida. This in turn led to the formation of two broad coalitions in northern Syria, effectively pitting Jabhat Fatah al-Sham against Ahrar al-Sham.
Ahrar al-Sham did not take part in the Astana talks, but groups that joined it later did attend.
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that his activist network, which has tracked the six years of Syria's civil war, registered only 14 dead on both sides, but that he suspects that the factions are keeping secret the real number of their fatalities.
The Observatory also confirmed Monday's reports from the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency that Syrian troops captured the Eweisheh hill, cutting al-Bab off from other areas under Islamic State control.
The Observatory said the Syrian troops were backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to bolster Assad's forces. The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said troops are pushing north and have severed Islamic State supply lines.
On Sunday, Turkish troops and Euphrates Shield fighters briefly captured the town of Bazaa near al-Bab before the extremists began a counteroffensive. The Qasioun news agency, run by local activists, said Monday that Turkish troops and their allies initiated a new offensive in an attempt to retake the town.
Elsewhere in northern Syria, the Observatory and pro-government activists said a warplane crashed near the Nairab air base in the northern city of Aleppo, killing the pilot. It was not immediately clear if the warplane was taking part in attacks against the Islamic State in al-Bab area.
And in Homs province, Syria's Al-Ikhbariya TV said Islamic State militants blew up a gas pipeline, causing a fire. Government forces have been advancing in the area of the Hayan gas facility in the eastern part of the province for days.
A Section on 02/07/2017