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Among the Islamist Fighters of Syria
(New Yorker) Rania Abouzeid - 11 villages in the mountains of Jabal al-Akrad, in the northwestern Latakia province of Syria, the Alawite heartland of Assad, were captured by Syrian Islamist rebels in the first week of August; forces of Assad succeeded in getting them back by August 19. The rebel effort is led by a conservative Islamist coalition, spearheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) of al-Qaeda and Suqoor el Ezz, headed by a Saudi called Sheikh Sakr. The coalition includes Jabhat al-Nusra, which is also tied to al-Qaeda; the Salafi Ahrar al-Sham brigades; and groups solely made up of foreign fighters, who are here in great numbers. The rebel Free Syrian Army is also fighting here, but not in the lead.