How Arab allies became enemies and then joined the Kurds

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  • How Arab allies became enemies and then joined the Kurds | Middle East Eye
    http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/who-are-arab-allies-syrian-kurdish-militias-987640517

    Nearly six years into Syria’s civil war, lines between allies and enemies have become so blurred that in northern Syria Arabs are now fighting Arabs at the behest of Kurds.

    In recent weeks, under the cover of both US and Russian jets, Syrian Kurds fighting with the YPG have managed to expand their control over much of the region.

    As they have advanced into Marea and towards Azaz, the YPG has been joined by its allies in the 40,000-strong Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed militia that includes Christians, Druze, Turkmen, Assyrians as well as Sunni Arabs like Jaysh al-Thuwwar (JaT) and the al-Sanadid Forces.

    Last May, JaT was founded as an amalgamation of Aleppo-based opposition groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner against President Bashar al-Assad’s government and the Islamic State (IS).

    Less than a year later – and to the confusion of observers who long for clear divisions in the conflict - JaT finds itself aligned with the YPG, a move the group says it was forced to make with the rise of militant groups like al-Nusra Front.

    Analysts, however, say the group is attempting to curry favour with the US, and former rebel allies, like Ahrar al-Sham, have quickly branded the fighters “infidels”. Jaish al-Islam leader Mohammed Alloush has called for fighters to disobey orders and defect from the group.

    Regardless of its intentions, JaT’s side-switching highlights a war that has become so fragmented that it is hard to disentangle enemy from ally and has left many civilians caught in the subsequent crossfire.

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