Rebel infighting erupts across multiple rearguard regions in rural Daraa

YemenExtra

M.A.

Skirmishes engulfed the southern province of Daraa on Sunday after otherwise allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel factions opened fire on each other in the countryside of Daraa amid fears of defections to Daesh which still holds a pocket of territory on the border with the occupational state of Israel and Jordan.

Majority of the rebel infighting was based around Inkhil city, the Naseeb border crossing and Maaraba town while the primary battlefield belligerents were comprised of the Al-Hamza brigades, Jaysh Al-Thawra and Shabab Al-Sunnah.

Although clashes persisted throughout Sunday, a delegation of Southern Front leaders rushed to the aforementioned regions and were capable of briefly halt the skirmishes in the evening hours although mistrust between many FSA groups remains widespread.

According to military sources, a couple hundred rebel fighters have defected to Daesh over the past year, thus spawning increased tensions between FSA factions united by the ‘Southern Front’ coalition.