ISTANBUL/BEIRUT: Brothers Abu Eliyas and Abu Yousef have fought at opposite ends of the insurgency against Syrian President Bashar al Assad. One is a member of a rebel group that was once backed by the CIA. The other is a militant in an internationally proscribed terrorist movement.
Yet despite their ideological differences, they live under the same roof in rebel-held Idlib province and have fought on the same side against pro-Assad forces and IS.
“The important thing is we fight the same enemy,” said Abu Eliyas, 40, a member of the Turkey-backed Failaq al Sham group. “At home, we exchange military skills and information, and discuss the Syrian scene.”
Abu Yousef, 27, belongs to the Tahrir al Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front. He believes the brothers’ “points of agreement are greater than the points of division.”
“We are members of one religion, one country and one goal”, he said.
Their parallel journeys through the civil war that began in Syria in 2011 illustrate the complexities of sorting insurgents deemed “radical” from more moderate rebels.
This is the task facing Turkey as it seeks to shore up a deal with Russia over Idlib, which is part of an arc of rebel-held territory at the Turkish border.
The province is part of the opposition’s last big foothold in Syria and is effectively — at least for now — in a zone of Turkish influence under the agreement reached last month.
Russia expects Turkey to bring about a separation of insurgents, with “radical” rebels to leave a newly created demilitarised zone at the frontline with government forces by Monday. Turkey says the “moderates” can stay where they are.
The Turkey-backed groups, gathered under the umbrella of the National Liberation Front (NLF), have said they will cooperate with Turkey’s efforts, despite some misgivings.
The tougher part for Turkey is bringing the militants into line, particularly foreign fighters estimated to number in the thousands. President Tayyip Erdogan has suggested Tahrir al Sham is cooperating, though the group has yet to comment on the deal.
The experiences of Abu Yousef and Abu Eliyas show that the line between the “radical” and “moderate” rebels is not always easily drawn. Abu Eliyas is a trained lawyer with seven children who was working as a government employee when the conflict began. He took part in the first protests against Assad in the brothers’ home town of Deir al Zor in eastern Syria.
“They were unforgettable days. The feeling was very strange for us — that we are in Syria and going out in protest against the regime,” he said.
— Reuters
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