Jihadis Gain Ground In Syrian Rebel Movement As Moderates Grow Desperate
By Richard Engel, Chief Foreign Correspondent, NBC News
ANTAKYA, Turkey — Syrian opposition activists tell NBC News that Bashar Assad is getting away with having used chemical weapons to massacre hundreds of civilians, and that giving the regime a pass will only benefit al-Qaeda extremists.
“If there is no action, everyone will be desperate. We are already desperate. We are dying. Many will join al-Qaeda. Even the educated will join them, because no one else is helping,” a Syrian rebel said.
There is a battle underway within the Syrian revolt -- a war within the war -- between the generally moderate, US-backed Free Syrian Army and Islamic extremist groups.
The Free Syrian Army put its faith in Washington, which promised action, but so far hasn’t delivered. The moderates say they have lost hope and face. Islamists, on the other hand, always doubted Washington would act, and instead of attending meetings, they are putting bullets in their guns; and they are sending men.
Abu Abdul Rahman, a 22-year-old from Tunisia crosses the border from Turkey into Syria. Rahman is a al-Qaeda volunteer who traveled to Syria to join what he sees as a battle to defend Muslims no one is bothering to help.
Both want to topple Assad, but the end goals are very different: democracy on one side, and an Islamic state on the other.
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