Al Qaida Militias Lead Fight In Syria

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Al Qaida-aligned militias banned from the Syrian
opposition have taken the lead in the war against President Bashar Assad, a
report said.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy asserted that Islamist
militias excluded from the new rebel command were responsible for the
capture of a leading Syria Air Force base in January 2013. In a report
titled "Fallout from the Fall of Taftanaz," the rebel units were identified
as the Jabhat Al Nusra, Syrian Islamic Front, and the Syrian Liberation
Front, which have gained popularity at the expense of the Arab- and
Western-supported opposition.