Lines between opposing groups in the Syrian civil war sharpened further over the weekend, as ethnic Kurds emerged as opponents to both the Bashar al-Assad government, which is backed by Iran and its proxies, and to Syrian rebel groups, who are backed by Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Syrian Kurds have until now largely sided with anti-government forces, though cooperation has been uneasy because of the conflict between Ankara and regional Kurdish parties. Increasing Salafist influence within rebel ranks – which journalists have linked to those groups’ Sunni backers – has heightened Kurdish concern. Over the weekend, tensions boiled over as members of the Free Syrian Army opened fire on “a demonstration by the people who were demanding that the FSA leave their Kurdish majority neighborhood.”

[Photo: Volle Auflösung ‎/ Wikipedia]