As Syria Attack Seems Imminent, Al-Qaeda and the U.S. Eye The Same Enemy
By <
http://world.time.com/author/arynbaker/> Aryn Baker/Beirut
<
http://www.twitter.com/arynebaker> _at_arynebakerAug. 28, 2013
<
http://world.time.com/2013/08/28/as-syria-attack-seems-imminent-al-qaeda-an
d-the-u-s-eye-the-same-enemy/#comments> 2 Comments
It's an uncomfortable truth for policymakers in Washington and other Western
capitals considering a strike on the Syrian regime of President Bashar
Assad: a military assault on regime targets in response to last week's
alleged chemical weapons attack could inadvertently provide an assist for
al-Qaeda-linked groups that are fighting the Syrian government. As an attack
from Western countries seems imminent, so too does some kind of military
response from the Islamist extremists.
A Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda has vowed to ignite a "volcano of revenge"
against the Syrian regime, which it blames for the apparent chemical weapons
attacks near Damascus. The statement was first reported and translated by
the Jihadist threat monitoring network <
http://news.siteintelgroup.com>
SITE Intelligence Group late Tuesday night.
According to SITE, the statement was issued on August 26 by a consortium of
eight Syrian rebel factions, including a branch of the al-Qaeda-linked
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The eight factions declared a military
campaign against the "main joints" of the Syrian regime "including security
branches, support and supply points, training centers, and infrastructure."
ISIS is a newly formed group, but the al-Nusra Front, which makes up the
Syrian side of ISIS, is thought to be behind some of the most devastating
suicide attacks against the regime to date, as well as significant
battlefield victories over multiple military installations throughout the
country.
By issuing such a threat, ISIS may be seeking to supersede American action
in Syria, giving it a public relations edge in a region largely aligned
against Assad yet uncomfortable with the idea of U.S. military intervention.
A successful ISIS strike against the regime while the West deliberates
appropriate action would read well on the Arab street and among other Syrian
rebels. U.S. action in Syria, if it happens, will have far greater impact on
the regime than anything ISIS can pull off but al-Qaeda may be racing to
score key points in the region before a Western attack.
Read more:
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d-the-u-s-eye-the-same-enemy/#ixzz2dItNoUrk>
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-the-u-s-eye-the-same-enemy/#ixzz2dItNoUrk
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Received on Wed Aug 28 2013 - 18:01:54 EDT