Middle East

In Syria, US-Backed Rebels Are Fighting … Other US-Backed Rebels

The Liberation Army FSA is backed by the U.S. The Syrian Democratic Forces are also backed by the U.S. And now, they're fighting each other.

In Syria, US-Backed Rebels Are Fighting … Other US-Backed Rebels
Liberation Army
SMS

These are U.S.-backed Syrian rebels.

This flag belongs to another U.S.-backed group, the Syrian Democratic Forces.

They're fighting each other in northern Syria.

This shows how much of a mess Syria's front lines are right now.

Turkey's backing the Syrian rebels, too. It helped them seize the ISIS border town of Jarabulus. 

SEE MORE: How Many ISIS Fighters Are There? It's Hard To Tell

The rebels almost immediately clashed with the U.S.-backed SDF just south of Jarabulus. 

The SDF had recently liberated the important city of Manbij from ISIS.

So, while ISIS is their enemy … the SDF and rebels are each other's enemy, too.

The U.S. is on the fence. As a NATO ally, it supports Turkey, which supports the rebel groups. But the U.S. also supports the SDF, which has been enormously successful fighting ISIS.