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Support for jihadists in Syria swells as US backing of rebels falls short
(CS Monitor) – When asked about the role of Islamic jihadists in Syria’s long-burning civil war, an Aleppo hospital doctor recalled what prompted one Syrian to join their ranks.
The man had returned to his house one day to find it destroyed by a bomb, his wife and children among the dead. “Give me one reason why I should not join the jihadists!” the man cried, recalls the doctor. “They will give me my revenge, while all the rest of the world drinks a cup of tea and says, ‘Oh, it’s so sad.’ “
Aleppo has become the crucible of the 20-month rebellion against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. But despite a rising death toll and a shared aim of removing the Syrian leader, US officials have stopped short of giving decisive support to rebel forces, citing fears that weapons and cash would find their way to Islamist fighters – many of them from abroad – with an anti-US agenda who have joined the fight.
Still, as the desperation in Syria mounts, with tens of thousands dead and no end to the conflict in sight, rebel commanders say the American effort to limit rebel capabilities may be spurring exactly what the US hoped to avoid, by extending the war and deepening the influence of Islamist fighters.
Some are Syrians looking for unbridled revenge by joining Islamist units that routinely take on frontline combat. Many others are foreign fighters coming from places as diverse as Chechnya and Iraq, where they often have had past combat experience.
Rebels have received small arms, ammunition, and communications gear from the US and other sources, yet heavier equipment has not arrived, such as surface-to-air missiles.
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Shocked, shocked that foreign fighters and Islamic extremists (more specifically Sunni Muslim extremists) would be participants in a Syrian uprising. Who the hell did anyone think was funding the uprising once the rebels began shooting? Is it even possible in an age of a world awash in weapons for an indigenous, secular revolt against a tyrannical ruler to succeed if it isn’t co-opted by foreign powers, religious extremists, and/or ex-pats in waiting to assume the place of a deposed tyrant?
Or maybe it was a prelude to the news coming out of Iran –
Iran suspends uranium enrichment
Are the Ayatollahs reading Nate Silver?
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See my new diary – Iran ‘Stops’ Uranium Enrichment – Old Wine In New Bottles
As I read it, it seemed to be both more and less than was being reported. The “clarifications” and “denials” making it less were too predictable not to expect and that should have tempered bloggers impulse to run with it. The “more” is shrouded in secret, back channel, and convoluted talks — statecraft that power and wealth relishes practicing and mostly screws the people.