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.
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