Syrian Rebels’ Links To al-Qaida Strengthen
Source: McClatchy Foreign Staff
BEIRUT — The takeover of Syrian rebel posts by al-Qaida-linked fighters undercuts Secretary of State John Kerry’s assertion to Congress this month that moderates make up the bulk of the guerrilla movement against President Bashar Assad’s regime and are growing stronger.
Kerry told Congress that Islamist extremists make up 15 to 25 percent of the rebels. But a closer examination of the composition of fighting groups suggests his figure is low.
Charles Lister, an analyst for IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center in Great Britain, circulated a study last week that showed that al-Qaida-linked fighters and “hard-line Islamists” who coordinate closely with them number more than 40 percent of the anti-Assad forces. “Genuine moderates, with a distinctly nationalist-secular outlook,” Lister said, account for 20 to 25 percent of the estimated 100,000 anti-Assad fighters.
Battles of the past few days have only supported the assessment that Islamists, not moderates, hold sway in the anti-Assad movement. Al-Qaida-linked fighters seized Free Syrian Army strongholds, most notably the town of Azaz near the Turkish border, amid intense firefights.
Read more: http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2021871413_islamistssyriaxml.html