About a third of rebel groups fighting in Syria share the aims and ideology of Islamic State, says a new report into the conflict in the region.
It looked at the views of 48 Syrian rebel factions, and found 33 per cent follow Isis's ideology, Sky News reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Islamist militias that hold similar religious beliefs and political goals to the so-called Islamic State group are believed to contain 100,000 fighters and could grow to fill the void should IS be defeated, says the study. The report states: "If Isis is defeated, there are at least 65,000 fighters belonging to other Salafi-jihadi groups ready to take its place.
"The greatest danger to the international community are the groups that share the ideology of Isis, but are being ignored in the battle to defeat the group.
Current Western efforts to define "moderate" and "extremist" rebels are also bound to fail, says the centre, because the groups themselves rarely make the distinction.
The report comes in the wake of Friday's UN Security Council resolution which unanimously endorsed a peace plan for Syria, including calls for a ceasefire. "The resolution sets out a timetable for formal talks and a unity government within six months," reports the BBC, but it "makes no mention of the future role of President Assad".
The centre's report claims that unless President Assad is removed from office or voluntarily steps down, the war in the country is likely to remain or could even spread further.
Western countries have called for his departure, but Russia and China say he should not be required to relinquish power as a precondition for peace talks.
-
‘Human trafficking isn’t something that happens “somewhere else”’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
What would a credit card rate cap mean for you?the explainer President Donald Trump has floated the possibility of a one-year rate cap
-
Is the American era officially over?Talking Points Trump’s trade wars and Greenland push are alienating old allies
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Syria’s Islamic State problemIn The Spotlight Fragile security in prison camps leads to escape of IS fighters
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
