Bergen: Al Qaeda's potent force in Syria

[dkf]

Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate is also well supplied as it benefits from the support of Sunni ultra-fundamentalists in the wealthy Gulf states such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Jabhat al-Nusra, which means the "Victory Front," was listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in December and is essentially a splinter organization of al Qaeda in Iraq.

Al-Nusra's military prowess and close ties to al Qaeda make it a potentially serious threat to U.S. interests in the region, and the group has shown it has the ability to conduct massive suicide bombings.

In November, al-Nusra claimed responsibility for 45 attacks in the provinces of Damascus, Deraa, Hama and Homs that killed dozens of people, including one suicide bomb that reportedly resulted in 60 casualties.

It was the first insurgent organization in Syria to claim responsibility for attacks that caused civilian casualties.

Despite these civilian casualties, the group has been able to garner considerable support from Syria's Sunni population, not only because it is the premier fighting force in the campaign to topple al-Assad but also because it is involved in providing critical services such as food, medical services and Sharia courts to the embattled population.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/29/opinion/bergen-al-qaeda-power-syria/

[The Straight Story]

1. Which brings up an interesting thing

During the whole start of this civil war had the US been involved in arming the rebels and assisting them people would have asked why would we do such a thing and get involved.

The Sunni's make up a majority in the country but are not as hard lined as others in their group in other countries.

Now, instead, the only people who have come in to assist are Al Qaeda who will want their due when the fighting is over and use their influence to prop up yet another dictator who, unlike assad, will be less likely to tolerate diversity in the country and will work to fan the flames and blame against the alawaites, christians, shias, etc there.

Historically, someone usually steps in to assist one side or the other. Assad has Russia but they won't get too deeply involved and since assad is out numbered in the long run it is only a matter of time before he flees or is assassinated. If the US does more than send a few cruise missiles they may be seen in a better light by the rebels who don't all particularly like al qaeda anyway but appreciate their ability and willingness to fight and die for their side.

Then we have the matter of the millions of refugees who will come back. They fled one dictator and a civil war and won't be too keen on another - especially if they return home and still no jobs or food (but guessing the saudis might send in some money for rebuilding and aid since they have forked over millions already anyway).

The russians and iran will lose an ally but I don't seeing them giving up that easily and may send money to the alawaites and fighting a proxy war (I don't see them offering to take them in as refugees).

I don't see assad willing to give up at all and would not be shocked at all if he used more chemical weapons if things turn nasty for him - and if the only people trying to stop him from doing so are the incoming al qaeda fighters than that is something I think the people will remember there and will throw their trust in them since no one else did anything.