Al-Qaida offshoots may be exploiting Syria turmoil

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Beirut, Lebanon — An al-Qaida-inspired group said it was responsible for dozens of attacks across Syria, the latest evidence that extremists are exploiting the chaos to make inroads in another Middle Eastern country.

The Syrian regime has long blamed terrorists for the 16-month-old revolt, and the presence of al-Qaida groups creates new difficulties for Arab and Western countries trying to help force President Bashar Assad from power.

The opposition and the rebel Free Syrian Army deny having any links to terrorism, and say they do not have the desire or the capabilities to carry out massive suicide bombings and other al-Qaida-style attacks.

On Tuesday, the SITE monitoring group, which tracks jihadist chatter on the Internet, said the Al-Nusra Front released statements on extremist websites in late June saying the attacks were to avenge the killings of Syrians by the government.

Little is known about Al-Nusra, although Western intelligence officials say it could be a front for a branch of al-Qaida militants from Iraq operating in Syria.

The group has claimed responsibility for a string of attacks in Syria, including suicide bombings, in the past.

Although the Syrian opposition disavows links to terrorism, the presence of al-Qaida among the forces fighting to oust Assad is a serious complicating factor for the international powers that say they want to help the opposition without empowering extremists along the way.

More than 14,000 people have been killed since the Syrian uprising began, according to activists. Despite global outrage over the crackdown by the Assad regime, the international response has been focused entirely on diplomacy and sanctions as the violence escalates.

On Wednesday, the head of the United Nations observer mission in Syria called on all sides to stop fighting — even as activists reported government shelling in five provinces.

FreeP

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4 responses to “Al-Qaida offshoots may be exploiting Syria turmoil”

  1. dateam Avatar

    welcome to the world of politics….you mean they just realised this? this is now coming out and will be used as the tool to keep him in power…looks like it didnt work…the russians and chines seem to have made it clear to the americans so this will be used as the political tool to make it fade away…and then of course remnants will remain and bombings and suicide bombings like iraq will start spurting….while everyone saves face…and of course the people wont matter

  2. dateam Avatar

    welcome to the world of politics….you mean they just realised this? this is now coming out and will be used as the tool to keep him in power…looks like it didnt work…the russians and chines seem to have made it clear to the americans so this will be used as the political tool to make it fade away…and then of course remnants will remain and bombings and suicide bombings like iraq will start spurting….while everyone saves face…and of course the people wont matter

  3. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    So … 10 out-of-work buddies get together in a coffee-shop … bitch about their shitty lives … one says; ‘Hey, I’ve got some dynamite from the last construction job … why don’t we do something together?’
    The political animal of the group says; ‘I know just the hunk of property to use it on. Lets call ourselves Al Coffeeda and go let them know something about us. Advertising is good’.
    Viola !!  New terrorist group !

  4. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    So … 10 out-of-work buddies get together in a coffee-shop … bitch about their shitty lives … one says; ‘Hey, I’ve got some dynamite from the last construction job … why don’t we do something together?’
    The political animal of the group says; ‘I know just the hunk of property to use it on. Lets call ourselves Al Coffeeda and go let them know something about us. Advertising is good’.
    Viola !!  New terrorist group !

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