Syrian rebels see threat in al- Qaeda
Terrorist group could subvert revolution
ANTAKYA, TURKEY Syrian opposition activists say they are worried that Islamist terrorists are hijacking the Syrian revolution after Jordanian authorities thwarted a plot to attack targets such as the U.S. Embassy using weapons reportedly designated for Syrian rebels.
“Al- Qaeda is hijacking the revolution and diverting it from its original purpose, which was toppling the regime, of President Bashar Assad, Abu Chin Orwa’a said in Idlib province. Orwa’a is a member of the National Unity Battalion fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which says it is resisting involvement by extremist foreign fighters. “They are manipulating it by hitting the religious nerves of the people,” he said.
On Monday, Jordanian authorities charged a group of 11 men linked to alQaeda with planning to attack shopping malls and Western diplomatic missions in Jordan’s capital city, Amman. Jordan said the men armed themselves with explosives and mortar rockets smuggled across the border from Syria.
“These 11 terrorists were Jordanian nationals with clear ties to al- Qaeda targeting the security and stability of Jordan,” said Sameeh Maaytah, Jordan’s information minister.
Middle East analysts say the arrest is the latest evidence that more extremist Islamist groups are entering the fight in Syria, and may be getting weapons from Persian Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia meant for antiAssad rebels. The Obama administration has said it is helping those nations to deliver weapons to Syria.
“The conflict is becoming a war-byproxy for regional players,” said Fa- waz Gerges of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. “The predicament the opposition now finds itself in is unifying its ranks not only against the Assad regime but also preventing radical elements from hijacking their cause.”
Some FSA fighters, made up largely of deserters from the Syrian army, say that some foreign donors sending support for the revolution in the form of weapons are supporting such extremists.
“There is no official Saudi government support, but people who are donating privately are giving on the condition of one thing – that the battalion (they are donating to) should have the black flag (associated with alQaeda). Otherwise, they won’t get any support,” Orwa’a said.
Hozan Ibrahim, an activist with the Syrian National Council, a dissident group, says the infiltration threatens to get out of hand.
“There are some groups not 100% different from al- Qaeda that are taking advantage of the situation,” he said. “They did the same in Iraq, and if there is no quick resolution to the situation, we could see more of these incidents.”
Ibrahim said such groups could try to divert the revolution from its goals of freedom and democracy. Others said that though the opposition would remain unified in their struggle to overthrow the Assad regime, they fear what might come after.
“I’m afraid that it will be a long battle after the regime falls with al- Qaeda, because most people I’ve met don’t want these people, this group, in the country,” said Mahmoud Hassino, a Syrian journalist from Salamiyeh in Hama province. “The more time that passes, the more soldiers there will be to fight.”