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In Syria, Some Brace for the Next War

(Washington Post) Liz Sly - In northeastern Syria, Syrians are bracing for a war between the relatively moderate fighters who first took up arms against the government and Islamist extremists. Schisms are emerging among rebel groups over ideology, the shape of a future Syrian state, and control of significant resources. The provinces of Raqqah, Deir al-Zour and Hasakah - between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers - are home to the bulk of Syria's economic wealth, including all of its oil fields, as well as its gas reserves, and most of its agriculture. Jabhat al-Nusra, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. because of its suspected ties to al-Qaeda, is among several groups advancing in the region, but it is emerging as the strongest. Last week, a Saudi and two Tunisian fighters were killed when tribal leaders sought to prevent Jabhat al-Nusra fighters from entering the village of Misrib in Deir al-Zour. In Shahadi, an oil town in Hasakah province, Jabhat al-Nusra fighters opened fire on demonstrators protesting the group's presence in the town. Jabhat al-Nusra has seized control of nearly 90% of Syria's oil wells, its granaries and its stores of cotton, and it is selling these stocks to raise money.
2013-04-11 00:00:00
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