Abu Sakkar was, until quite recently, seen as someone in the mainstream of the Syrian revolutionaries trying to overthrow Basher al-Assad. Photo / Getty Images
Fighter shown 'eating' an enemy soldier's lungs was once regarded as a moderate. Even by the standards of a savage war, a fighter appearing to eat the lungs of a dead enemy soldier was startling.
Yet Abu Sakkar, the man filmed putting a body part in his mouth, was, until quite recently, seen as someone in the mainstream of the Syrian revolutionaries trying
to overthrow Basher al-Assad; something of a hero even for his part in the defence of Baba Amr when the district in Homs came under onslaught from regime forces.
His khatiba, or brigade, Omar Al-Farouq, won praise for taking a stand against the Islamist extremists in rebel ranks who are becoming more of a worry to Western governments than the Damascus regime.
I spent some time with members of Al-Farouq. What was clear was that they were not among the more wild eyes, calling for a medieval caliphate or prepared to pledge allegiance to al-Qaeda. They talked earnestly about the problems the country will face after Assad and how difficult it would be to repair the fractures between warring communities.
