by Wa'il Isam | Dec 6, 2013 | Middle East
Antakya, Asharq Al-Awsat—A Syrian rebel group calling itself the Ahrar Al-Qalamoun Brigade has claimed to be behind the abduction of 12 Greek Orthodox nuns earlier this week. The Islamist group announced that it is prepared to release the nuns in return for the...
by Wa'il Isam | Nov 23, 2013 | Middle East
Antakya, Asharq Al-Awsat—Following weeks of preparations, seven major Islamist rebel groups fighting against the regime of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria announced a merger on Friday. The new Islamist coalition is set to be called the Islamic Front. A statement posted...
by Wa'il Isam | Nov 14, 2013 | Middle East
Istanbul, Asharq Al-Awsat—The head of the main Syrian opposition coalition said on Wednesday that he was optimistic that rebels inside Syria could be persuaded to accept plans for an international peace conference. The conference, dubbed “Geneva II,” has been...
by Wa'il Isam | Nov 6, 2013 | Middle East
Antakya, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Free Syrian Army (FSA) leadership, led by Gen. Salim Idris, met with senior Islamist rebel commanders in Reyhanli in Turkey on Tuesday, in a last ditch attempt to stave off a major split in the ranks of Syria’s rebels. Syria’s...
by Wa'il Isam | Jun 7, 2013 | Features
Aleppo, Asharq Al-Awsat—In the last few days in the northern Aleppo suburbs, more than 20 people have been killed in clashes between fighters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on one side and Shi’ite and Kurdish fighters on the other, underlining the growing sectarian...
