Syrian Rebels, Qaeda Group Clash Near Turkish Border Crossing
ANKARA/BEIRUT | Thu Sep 19, 2013 3:03pm EDT
(Reuters) - Al Qaeda-linked fighters battled a rival Syrian rebel group near the Turkish frontier for a second day on Thursday, after the militant Islamists stormed a nearby town and prompted Turkey to shut a border crossing.
The fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Wednesday killed at least five members of the Northern Storm Brigade, a rebel group that controls the border, highlighting Syria's deep opposition divisions.
The confrontation in the town of Azaz was one of the most serious clashes between the al Qaeda affiliate, made up largely of foreign fighters, and the more ideologically moderate home-grown rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
Their struggle, however, is less about ideology and more about a fight for territory, resources and the spoils of war. ISIL fighters had positioned themselves to defend the town while a nearby rebel brigade tried to broker a ceasefire.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/19/us-syria-crisis-turkey-idUSBRE98I0C120130919
