So the CIA is on the ground supporting Al Qaeda terrorists, the same ones who attacked us

[grahamhgreen]

on 9-11, and now they want to go in and provide air support for the terrorists....

Do I have that right?

Well, what could go wrong with that plan?

[whatchamacallit]

1. We need them again

[grahamhgreen]

3. The whole thing is a sick twisted joke whose goal it is to perpetuate war.

[whatchamacallit]

16. That's how I see it

Unfortunately, most Americans will jump through flaming hoops of cognitive dissonance to maintain their beloved white hat/black hat mythos.

[Dash87]

20. Yep. Our convenient little oil buddies.

[VanillaRhapsody]

2. Al Queda fighters are only a small fraction of the syrian rebel forces..

how many times does that have to be said?

[DURHAM D]

4. I know... right.

[Jesus Malverde]

6. Al Queda fighters are only a small fraction of the syrian rebel forces..

You are right.

The rest are;

foreign fighters engaged in jihad against a secular state.

[VanillaRhapsody]

8. Oh really?

You need to do some more research...here let me help you with a jumping off point:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Syrian_Army

[grahamhgreen]

53. Against a SOCIALIST state. Perhaps capitalisms proxy war against socialism....?

[HooptieWagon]

9. No, about half the rebels are AQ supported or members.

[VanillaRhapsody]

10. Half? Where are you getting your numbers?

You are going to have to back that up Hooptie...

[HooptieWagon]

24. From reports that the non-FSA rebel groups....

are comprised mostly of foreign and domestic jihadists and are funded, trained, and supported by Al Qaida.

[VanillaRhapsody]

11. do some homework

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Syrian_Army

[HooptieWagon]

26. Free Syrian Army is only one rebel group of several.

They are well less than half of all rebel fighters. Although secular, there is concern that individual members may be jihadists or jihadist sympathizers, and may traffic weapons supplied to FSA to the jihadist groups.

[VanillaRhapsody]

30. Maybe being the operative word in just your statement.

The Syrian National Council, a coalition of Syrian opposition groups based in Istanbul, formed in 2011 during the Syrian civil war.[15][16] Key people include chairman as of 2013 George Sabra, and former chairmen Burhan Ghalioun and Abdulbaset Sieda.

Muslim Brotherhood: Islamist party founded in 1930. The brotherhood was behind the Islamic uprising in Syria between 1976 until 1982. The party is banned in Syria and membership became a capital offence in 1980. The régime of Bashar al Assad, and others[who?], have accused the Muslim Brotherhood of being key players in the Syrian uprising that escalated into a civil war.[17][18][19] Other sources have described the group as having "risen from the ashes",[20] "resurrected itself"[21] to be a dominant force in the uprising.[22] Current leader is Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni.

Coalition of Secular and Democratic Syrians: nucleus of a Syrian secular and democratic opposition that appeared during the Syrian civil war. It came about through the union of a dozen Muslim and Christian, Arab and Kurd parties, who called the minorities of Syria to support the fight against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.[20][23] The Coalition has also called for military intervention in Syria, under the form of a no-fly zone similar to that of Kosovo, with a safe zone and cities.[24][25] The president of the coalition, who is also a member of the SNC, is Randa Kassis.[26][27][28][29]

Damascus Declaration: Opposition bloc from 2005. Twelve members were sentenced to 2.5 years in prison in 2008. Syrian journalist and activist Michel Kilo launched the declaration, after the Syrian writer and thinker Abdulrazak Eid had written its first draft. Riad Seif, another democracy activist, became the first signatory.[30] The "five small opposition groups" signing the declaration were

the Arab nationalist National Democratic Rally

the Kurdish Democratic Alliance

the Committees of Civil Society

the Kurdish Democratic Front

the Movement of the Future.[31] The Movement for Justice and Development in Syria (MJD) also subscribes to the Damascus Declaration.[32] In a series of splits 2007-2009, most members left the Damascus Declaration, leaving the MJD and SDPP (see below) as the only remaining factions of any consequence, along with a number of independents.

Syrian Democratic People's Party: A socialist party which played a "key role" in the creation of the SNC.[33] The party's leader George Sabra (a secularist born to a Christian family) is the official spokesman of the SNC, and also ran for chairman.[34]
Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution: Syrian opposition group supporting the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's government. It grants local opposition groups representation in its national organization.

Assyrian Democratic Organization: A party representing Assyrians in Syria and long repressed by the Assad regime, it has been a participant in opposition structures since the beginning of the conflict. Abdul-Ahad Astepho is a member of the SNC. [35] [36]
Syrian Turkmen Assembly: A recently formed assembly of Syrian Turkmens which constitutes a coalition of Turkmen parties and groups in Syria. It is against the partition of Syria after the collapse of Baath regime. The common decision of Syrian Turkmen Assembly is: "Regardless of any ethnic or religious identity, a future in which everybody can be able to live commonly under the identity of Syrian is targeted in the future of Syria."[37]
Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement: An opposition party of Syrian Turkmens, which was constituted in Istanbul on 21 March 2012. The leader of Syrian Democratic Turkmen Movement is Ziyad Hasan.
Syrian Turkmen National Bloc: An opposition party of Syrian Turkmens, which was founded in February 2012. The chairman of the political party is Yusuf Molla.

Local Coordination Committees of Syria: Network of local protest groups that organise and report on protests as part of the Syrian civil war, founded in 2011.[38][39] As of August 2011, the network supported civil disobedience and opposed local armed resistance and international military intervention as methods of opposing the Syrian government.[40] Key people are activists Razan Zaitouneh and Suhair al-Atassi.[41]

Free Syrian Army & Higher Military Council: Paramilitary that has been active during the Syrian civil war.[42][43] Composed mainly of defected Syrian Armed Forces personnel,[44][45][45] its formation was announced on 29 July 2011 in a video released on the Internet by a uniformed group of deserters from the Syrian military who called upon members of the Syrian army to defect and join them.[46] The leader of the group, who identified himself as Colonel Riad al-Asaad, announced that the Free Syrian Army would work with demonstrators to bring down the system, and declared that all security forces attacking civilians are justified targets.[47][48] It has also been reported that many former Syrian Consulates are trying to band together a Free Syrian Navy from fishermen and defectors to secure the coast.[49]

Al-Tawhid Brigade: an armed group of the Free Syrian Army active in the Battle of Aleppo.

Liwaa al-Umma: a paramilitary group fighting against the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war. The group was previously led by Mahdi Al-Harati, an Irish-Libyan who led Libyan rebel Tripoli Brigade during the Battle of Tripoli. In September 2012 it came under command of the Free Syrian Army.

Syrian Turkmen Brigades: An armed opposition structure of Syrian Turkmens fighting against Syrian Armed Forces. It is also the military wing of Syrian Turkmen Assembly. It is led by Colonel Muhammad Awad and Ali Basher.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_opposition

[HooptieWagon]

44. Yes, may be.

Its unknown. No one is keeping tabs on who is entering the country, nor are there background checks being conducted. Its pretty much "You want to fight Assad? Here's your AK-47, go climb in the back of that pickup truck". So its not known to what degree jihadists are fighting with FSA, nor where their ultimate loyalties lie.

[WatermelonRat]

13. Many more

It's disheartening to see supposed liberals making about as much distinction between Islamists and non-Islamists as Pamela Geller.

[VanillaRhapsody]

15. same to you...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Syrian_Army

read before you speak...

[whatchamacallit]

23. I love how we go from carpet bombing countries over these guys to

"Relax, it's just a handful of 'evil incarnate' we're supporting"... Whatever keeps the prez cool.

[VanillaRhapsody]

31. this "cool prez" didn't carpet bomb...

[Vinnie From Indy]

39. Could it be that the Wiki you keep referencing is sourced

to make the Free Syrian Army look less populated by Al Queda and jihadists? Is there any possibility that your reference has a great deal of propaganda mixed in with the truth?

Just asking!

Cheers!

[VanillaRhapsody]

46. No...Cheers back at ya...

[WatermelonRat]

35. I don't think you know

what carpet bombing actually is.

[whatchamacallit]

41. Hip me, Rat

[VanillaRhapsody]

47. I will cause I have to agree with "rat" you don't

Carpet bombing, also known as saturation bombing, is a large aerial bombing done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land.[1][2][3][4] The phrase evokes the image of explosions completely covering an area, in the same way that a carpet covers a floor. Carpet bombing is usually achieved by dropping many unguided bombs. In contrast to precision bombing, it is not aimed at a small target,[3] such as a bunker, an airfield, or a military unit. One of its uses is the aerial bombing of cities.[1]

[whatchamacallit]

48. Yes, and we've done both. n/t

[VanillaRhapsody]

49. Yes...but no one has called for all out carpet bombing have they?

So your emotionally charged outburst is duly noted...along with your advancing case of ODS

[whatchamacallit]

50. Ha!

ODS is a misdiagnosis. I'm indifferent to Obama, as I am to most mediocrity. As far as the mythical "precision strikes" often promised chicken hawks are concerned, we'll see.

[jwirr]

5. The old group from Afghanistan are mostly gone. Al Qaeda needs new blood to keep the MIC in

business as usual.

[rug]

7. They were on the ground supporting alQaeda when the Afghanistan government favored the Soviet Union.

[htuttle]

14. Well, that was way, way back...

...when girls could attend school in Afghanistan without getting acid thrown in their faces, and there were things like bars and movie theaters in the cities there.

Completely different situation.

[Autumn]

17. We sure fixed that country, didn't we.

And look at the improvements in Iraq. Just splendid.

[VanillaRhapsody]

32. Yeah who was in power then?

[Autumn]

33. Yeah, bush. Of course some of the same players are still in the game.

[VanillaRhapsody]

34. "some" being the operative word...

[Autumn]

36. Right, I should have said "most"... just a few faces have changed.

[VanillaRhapsody]

37. No you were right the first time...

some not most is accurate.

[Autumn]

38. I think I'll stick with most.

[pampango]

12. Yes. Everyone who fights the dictator is a terrorist. Is that you, Bashar? n/t

[jberryhill]

27. lol

[BainsBane]

18. They aren't supporting Al Qaeda

There are Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow Assad. There are several different rebel groups. Al Qaeda has entered the conflict, since they always seem to take advantage of disorder.

[Autumn]

40. You are correct. Al Qaeda always rears their ugly head.

[grahamhgreen]

54. Well, that's clear as mud, let's jump in!

[BainsBane]

57. Okay, read for yourself

http://www.policymic.com/articles/42317/who-are-the-syrian-rebels-a-basic-intelligence-briefing-on-the-assad-resistance

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/04/11/syria-al-qaeda-connection/2075323/

[markiv]

19. We log every citizen's phone calls, to see if they are helping al quida

that's why it's justified

now they're telling us, within a month, that we must help al quida

[questionseverything]

25. seems like you summed it

up pretty well

[grahamhgreen]

55. Best comment of the thread. Absurd, isn't it.

[HooptieWagon]

21. I think CIA has been working with Free Syrian Army

They are supposedly secular, but may have individuals who are religious...thus there are no assurances arms supplied to the FSA won't find their way into jihadist groups hands.

FSA appears to be the largest and best organized of the rebel goups....many leaders/commanders are ex-Syrian Army....however they still are less than 40% of all the rebel fighters. If Assad is toppled, there is no guarrantee the FSA will prevail in the ensuing fight for control of the country, nor will they be able to prevent civilian massacres and targeting of religious minorities.

[Celebrandil]

22. So... people in Syria are either terrorists or supporters of dictators?

Sounds ignorant indeed!

[CrispyQ]

28. This country has gone totally off the deep end.

[Marrah_G]

29. We created AQ when we made Bin Laden who he was

Our CIA is awesome at fucking things up- especially in the Middle East.

[FiveGoodMen]

42. We were against them before we were for them.

[ozone_man]

51. Just like John Kerry in 2004.

He was for the war, before he was against it. Now he's back for war. The perpetual flip flopper.

[grahamhgreen]

56. HAHAHA!

[Politicalboi]

43. All hail Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda who were able to keep our military from shooting them out of the sky for HOURS. Al Qaeda who made the Pentagon do NOTHING for 40 minutes after the second tower was hit. Al Qaeda who made planes vaporize into nothing but ALL DNA was identified. Al Qaeda who stopped the FAA from reconstructing ANY of the planes, and delayed ANY investigation for over 400 days.

Al Qaeda= CIA. IMO.

[JVS]

45. I have a hard time believing that this kind of thing won't look bad in upcoming elections.

[raouldukelives]

52. So we've come full circle. We assist, we destroy, we assist. The perpetual war money machine.

I sure hope Wall St investors appreciate it.