Al-Qaeda Car Bomb Kills 26 Rival Rebels in North Syria

Blast Targeted Key Base Near Turkish Border

A suicide car bombing tore through the Aleppo Province town of Jarablos today, killing 26 people, almost all of them rebel fighters from factions fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) recently.

The bombing was attributed to AQI by Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-rebel mouthpiece that said it was likely retaliation for a recent turf war in which factions have seized several AQI possessions.

Jarablos is close to the border with Turkey, which makes it a particularly coveted prize for the various rebel groups, and today’s bombing took place near an old prison the fighters had been using for a base.

Territory along the border with Turkey means rebels can use Turkish territory to smuggle in weapons, and the best crossings have long been held by AQI, who demands a cut of everything smuggled in.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.