Syrian Rebel Group Pledges Loyalty To al-Qaida

[Purveyor]

Source: REUTERS

As the situation in Syria continues to remain unstable, the Islamist rebel group al-Nusra has officially proclaimed its allegiance to al-Qaida via an audio tape posted online on Wednesday.

In the tape, the group's leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani said, "the sons of Nusra Front renew their pledge (of allegiance) to the Sheikh of Jihad Ayman al-Zawahri and declare obedience."

This statement comes only two days after al-Zawahri released his own audio tape calling on Syrian rebel groups to establish an Islamist state if they succeed in dispelling under-siege President Bashar Ashad.

While the group pledged it's allegiance to al-Qaida, they distanced themselves from an Iraqi group called the Islamic State of Iraq who yesterday announced the unification of the two groups.

Read more: http://www.jpost.com/Syria-Crisis/Syrian-Rebel-group-pledges-loyalty-to-al-Qaida-309360

[leftynyc]

1. Any help we're giving should end this instant

If the choice is between assad and al queda, I don't give a shit who wins and hope both lose.

[Renew Deal]

2. "They're either with us or against us"

When do the cruise missles get launched?

[leftynyc]

3. I don't think so

I think we'll be perfectly content to watch these two groups fight it out. It's very, very unfortunate that children are going to make up most of the victims but that's the choice of the fighters.

[John2]

4. I don't know why

anyone would be surprised. This is a Religious War over resources and power. The stronger armed side will win out. All the West does is just arm one side over the other. And their motives are the same. They want control and they want to build alliances with Israel, which any intellectual should know by now want work, unless you commit genocide. You have to wonder if that is their end game? The way we won the West in U.S. expansion will not work today. Islam is one of the oldest religions in the World. It will take genocide and centuries to erase its influence. What George W. Bush and the neocons hatched is just pure intellectual stupidity from the start.

[denem]

5. DU'ers are wilfully ignorant or they just don't care.

You may have heard of the Free Syrian Army, the principal and largely secular opposition to Assad. You should also have heard that NATO etc. have a arms embargo on them, and all the other militias.

Yes the Jihardists have moved in. Sympathic Suadi's and an nation states, Qatar in particula,r has been only too willing to supply 'sympathic' Islamists with 'logistics'.

This is not Afghanistan in the 1980's, it's more like Bosnia in the 1990's. As missiles hit Sarajevo the EEC wringed it's hand' - 'it will only make things worse' - that's what was said.

One month ago Syrian opposition will boycott talks after Scud strike kills 23 in Aleppo

"The Syrian National Coalition decided Saturday to suspend participation in the US-led Rome conference of the Friends of Syria and decline the invitation to Moscow negotiations with the Syrian government due to open next week. This is in protest over the Scud missile strikes on Aleppo in which “hundreds of civilians were killed.”

Assad is getting weapons from Russia and Iran, al-Nusra from al-Qaida, Saudi sympathisers, Qatar and elsewhere, the secularists in the FSA in drips and drabs.

I respect the more isolationist views amongst DU'ers, but you're going to reap what you sow.

[daleo]

6. It sounds like there are at least three sides in this fight

Secularists, Islamists and the Assad ruling status quo. Backing the first, may very well give us the second. Backing the second is trouble. Backing the third is problematic, but may help keep the second out of power. It is not an easy choice, even from a very non-idealistic point of view.

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. Would that it were so simple.

Among the rebels, it is basically warlordism, with local commanders running little gangs/unit/squads of armed rebels and scrambling for the cash and the arms to strengthen their positions vis a vis one another, not to mention the government forces and their allies. The Free Syrian Army seems to be largely a fiction, at least in terms of military control. Local militias or self-defense forces are popping up everywhere.

While I agree that there is a broad division among the rebels, I don't know that "secularists" is the right word for the non-jihadis. Most of the rebel fighters seem to be strongly Islamic, even if they don't like the crazies. Syria was a secular state; Damascus and Aleppo were relatively cosmopolitan, especially when compared to the rural countryside. Women wore jeans in Damscus; they wore veils in the countryside, which is where the rebels are strong.

And there is criminality on all sides. And connections with criminal organizations. Sometimes its hard to tell the criminal organizations from the (para)military ones. Criminal organizations thrive in civil wars.

[quadrature]

8. you left out tribalism

my view of this war ...

tribalism, with an overlay of sectarianism.

along with,
greed, corruption, outside influence,
revenge, hundreds of years of
unfinished business (include in that
leftover colonial issues).

we should stay out.