Al-Qaida militants seize weapons, bases from U.S.-backed Syrian rebels

PanARMENIAN.Net - Al-Qaida militants swept through a rebel-held town in northern Syria in a display of dominance Sunday, March 13, arresting U.S.-backed fighters and looting weapons stores belonging to the Free Syrian Army, the Associated Press reports.

The militants belonging to the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front along with allied jihadists have been moving to exert their authority over rebel-held areas in Idlib province since a partial ceasefire to the country's five-year conflict took effect two weeks ago, extinguishing patriotic demonstrations and sidelining nationalist militias.

The FSA's 13th Division said on Twitter Sunday that Nusra fighters were going door to door in the town of Maarat Numan and arresting its cadres after Nusra, alongside fighters from the Jund al-Aqsa faction, seized Division 13 posts the night before.

Seven Division 13 fighters died in the clashes.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said Nusra seized anti-tank missiles, armored vehicles, a tank, and other arms from the division, which has received weapons, training, and money from the U.S. government. It said Nusra and Jund al-Aqsa detained 40 fighters from the division.

Maarat Numan had a prewar population approaching 60,000 and saw some of the liveliest demonstrations calling for President Bashar Assad's fall in rebel-held areas over the last two weeks as the partial ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia brought relative peace to many beleaguered areas.

But jihadist militants have repeatedly tried to suppress the demonstrations in Idlib province, where they maintain a strong presence. The challenges have threatened to fracture the array of forces allied to prevent Syrian government forces from retaking north Syria.