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Islamic Front control staves off opposition infighting in Aleppo

Coordination among the disparate anti-regime forces is more effective in the Aleppo area thanks to control by the Islamic Front and the common threat of the Islamic State, though tension has risen because of rebel infighting in the bordering region.
Rebel fighters carrying weapons move towards their positions on the Karm al-Tarab frontline in Aleppo October 30, 2014. REUTERS/Hosam Katan (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR4C6IU

ALEPPO, Syria — Close relations between the Islamic Front (IF) and other factions have thus far enabled a higher degree of coordination in and around Syria’s former industrial capital than in other regions controlled by anti-regime forces.

The Bab al-Salam border crossing is a fenced route with checkpoints, a media office to register foreign journalists staffed by a former Liwa al-Tawhid Brigades fighter and polite, uniformed IF security officers who work closely with Turkish border guards.

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