Video:
SNC Khoja
Admited to ICP
a FSA
"Tactical
Alliance" with
Nusra
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
30 -- When
Khaled Khoja,
as new
president of
the Syrian
National
Coalition,
held a UN
press
conference on
April 29,
Inner City
Press asked
him about the
Free Syrian
Army working
with Jabhat al
Nusra, and the
UN reports
that the FSA
has recruited
and used child
soldiers.
Inner
City Press:
There’s a lot
of talk about
how some of
the military
advances have
been because
of either a
link-up with,
or due to
fighting by al
Nusra and
other listed
terrorist
groups. What
are the
relations, if
any, between
the Free
Syrian Army
and al Nusra?
And also,
earlier the UN
special
advisor on
children and
armed conflict
said that in
the Free
Syrian Army
there were
issues of
child soldier
recruiting.
Are you aware
of any steps
taken to
address that?
Khoja: The
role of al
Nusra in Idlib
is being
exaggerated.
Maybe 10
percent of the
forces were
from al Nusra
forces in
Idlib. But
they have good
propaganda.
Some of the
media,
including the
media of
regime, are
exaggerating
the role of al
Nusra. Not
only in Idlib.
Everywhere.
But
sometimes, the
Free Syrian
Army has no
chance, when
the Free
Syrian Army is
battling
against the
regime.
Fighting
against the
regime, has no
chance to
fight on
different
fronts.
Sometimes they
are fighting
on different
fronts,
against ISIL,
against the
regime, and
sometimes
against Jabhat
al Nusra, as
it happened in
the southern
area.
Sometimes in
war time
Damascus.
So,
Free Syrian
Army sometimes
made tactical
alliance with
some different
forces,
including al
Nusra in
Idlib. But we
have seen now
that al Nusra
is not that
big force in
Idlib..
Sham,
the first
division, and
Sham division
in Idlib,
created a
civil
governance,
there, and al
Nusra could
not oppose
this
governance.
Now we
have a lot of
challenges,
because more
than 400,000
people were
living in
Idlib, and I
don’t think
that even the
civil
governance
could handle
this
situation. As
a coalition we
have our
interim
government
helping the
forces to
provide
services, in
cluding health
care and
education and
other
infrastructure,
but it’s a big
challenge to
continue
managing the
situation
under the
barrel bombs.
So, the
question on
FSA child
soldiers was
not answered.
Khoja said
that the US
train and
equip program
for now does
not benefit
the FSA.
Back
on April 24
when the UN's
Syria envoy
Staffan de
Mistura came
to the UN
Security
Council
stakeout,
Inner City
Press asked
him if the
Saudi-led
airstrikes on
Yemen changed
any of the
dynamics on
Syria.
In reply, de
Mistura told
Inner City
Press that
"everything in
the region
these days is
connected." He
added that he
is focused on
Syria.
Inner
City Press
also asked de
Mistura about
criticism made
by his former
adviser Mouin
Rabbani on
Qatar's Al
Jazeera TV,
that Mistura
is out of his
depth and not
up for the
task.
De
Mistura
replied, I
will not
respond, you
would do the
same, if one
of your
ex-colleagues...
Inner City
Press asked
the question
because it
hadn't been
asked,
tellingly.
Now Inner City
Press has
heard more;
watch this
site Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
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