So Syrian rebels have captured UN peace keepers

[malaise]

and demanded that the government troops leave the area? Imagine if the government troops had captured those Un peace keepers. This is damned madness.

[TwilightGardener]

1. If I were John Kerry, I'd hold any disbursement of aid from the US until they free

the UN guys.

[Arctic Dave]

2. They are a bunch of fundalmentalist terrorist,

they shouldn't get a lump of shit from the US.

[TwilightGardener]

3. I don't know--supposedly there are some jihadists AND some moderate groups

in the mix. Who knows which group is getting what.

[Arctic Dave]

4. No, there are a lot of jihadist.

There are more then enough articles written about the "rebels" and who they are.

[pampango]

5. Juan Cole estimats that 10-20% of oppositon fighters are jihadists, the rest are military defectors

and civilians who have taken up arms. He stated that the jihadists are the most effective fighters even if they are a minority of the total.

Everything I have read is the guys who kidnapped the UN monitors are indeed jihadists.

[Arctic Dave]

6. Juan Cole isn't the best with facts.

The jihadist are the one's fighting while the others pose for the cameras while shooting guns in the air.

[pampango]

9. Yours sounds more like a statement of opinion rather than citing a source of facts. n/t

[annabanana]

7. This is going to screw up EVERYBODY's "messaging"...

OMG! The world is a complicated place.

What was that movie when kidnappers took someone that no one wanted back? I'm sure Assad is sooo worried about the UN.

[malaise]

8. That it is but if Assad had kidnapped UN peacekeepers the drones would be overhead

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2013/mar/07/talks-under-way-to-free-21-un-peacekeepers-held-in-syria-live-updates