Car bombing on Syria-Turkey border kills seven people as Assad steps up offensive
By Loveday Morris, Washington Post, Sept. 17, 2013

BEIRUT — A car bomb exploded at a major crossing between Syria and Turkey on Tuesday, killing seven people, as Syria’s civil war continued to spill beyond its borders amid a recent upsurge in violence.

The afternoon bombing at the Bab al-Hawa crossing came a day after Turkey shot down a Syrian helicopter that it said had crossed into its airspace, prompting speculation that the blast was a retaliatory move. Cars carrying refugees and trucks were lining up to cross into Turkey when the bomb exploded near a checkpoint on the Syrian side, witnesses said.
As international efforts to rid Syria of chemical weapons proceed, the government has stepped up its offensive against rebels, heightening concern that the diplomatic efforts could in fact intensify the conflict. President Bashar al-Assad’s forces claimed further gains in the Damascus suburbs Tuesday, taking the area of Shabaa near the airport road. Rebels denied those claims, but the pro-­Syrian Lebanese government TV channel al-Manar broadcast footage of its reporters touring what it said were rebel tunnels in the area [.....]

Al-Qaeda linked group seizes complete control of Syrian border town with Turkey: Activists
Agence France Presse in Beirut, Sept. 18, 2013

An Al-Qaeda front group fighting in Syria on Sept. 18 overran the northern town of Azaz near the border with Turkey after fierce clashes with rebels, activists told AFP.

"The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has seized complete control of Azaz. They are in control of the town's entrances," said Abu Ahmad, an activist inside the town. Another activist, a resident of the border town, confirmed the report. "ISIS are in full control. They are detaining people from their homes, and they are manning all the checkpoints," he told AFP via the Internet, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The development comes amid increasing reports of fighting in northern Syria between ISIS and non-jihadist rebels vying to bring down President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

In a sign that Syria's conflict has grown highly localised in recent months, ISIS has fought side by side with rebels against government troops in other areas of the country.

In Azaz, reports emerged of continuing clashes [....]

Ankara denies accusations of providing arms to extremist groups in Syria
Hurriyet Daily News, Sept. 18, 2013

Ankara has denied Sept. 18 claims that Turkey was handing weapons over to the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front as well as the jihadist Ahrar al-Sham groups.

“We do not lend any direct support to al-Nusra or any other groups. The only contact point for Turkey is the Syrian National Council,” Turkish diplomatic sources told the Hürriyet Daily News, recalling that Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had several times stated this position of Turkey regarding the anti-regime groups in Syria.

The claims were brought up by the Syrian Kurdish leader Saleh Muslim in an interview with daily Taraf published on Sept. 18 [....]