Syrian Islamist rebels capture military base near Turkish border

Rebels hoist flags over captured Sheikh Suleiman military base Aleppo – Arabstoday Islamist rebels seized large expanses of Sheikh Suleiman military base near Aleppo, Syria on Sunday. A large territory near the Turkish border in the north, around 25 km from Aleppo city, is now almost entirely under rebel control. The radical Islamist rebels hoisted black jihadist flags over buildings they captured as they continued to exchange fire, attempting to gain complete control over the base. Most of the fighters are allegedly not Syrian. A leader, identifying himself as Abu Talha, claimed to be from Uzbekistan, whilst another added: \"We are companions of the Prophet Mohammed.\" However the militants have as yet refused to name the faction they associate with; and Talha has forbidden combatants from other groups from entering the zone. The Free Syrian Army did not take part in the battle for Sheikh Suleiman, \"The Islamists caught us unawares by launching an attack on their own against the base on Saturday night,\" an FSA fighter told AFP, \"they were quicker than us.\"
The proliferation of Islamists in the Syrian conflict has provoked fears among the international community that the weapons they provide to rebels battling President Assad\'s regime may fall into extremist hands. However yesterday the rebel ambassador to France, Monzer Makhous, warned in a newspaper interview that the \"passivity\" of the international community was boosting extremism. The Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren appeared on \"Fox News Sunday,\" saying that while Syrian President Bashar Assad was \"reckless and irresponsible and ruthless,\" a bigger threat to regional stability would be allowing extremists access to Assad\'s arsenal. The ambassador declined to comment on reports that Israeli intelligence had agents inside Syria.
Across the border in Lebanon sectarian clashes linked to the situation Syria killed six and wounded 40 in the city of Tripoli.