Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
 

TakeALeftTurn

(316 posts)
18. Arms smuggling to Islamic Extremists in Syria
Sat May 18, 2013, 03:13 AM
May 2013

Both parties are avoiding the bigger picture … The fact that Democrats and Republicans alike have been using Benghazi as the center of U.S. efforts to arm the Al Qaeda-affiliated Syrian rebels.

Specifically, the U.S. supported opposition which overthrew Libya’s Gadaffi was largely comprised of Al Qaeda terrorists.

According to a 2007 report by West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center’s center, the Libyan city of Benghazi was one of Al Qaeda’s main headquarters – and bases for sending Al Qaeda fighters into Iraq – prior to the overthrow of Gaddafi:

The Hindustan Times reported in 2011:

“There is no question that al Qaeda’s Libyan franchise, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, is a part of the opposition,” Bruce Riedel, former CIA officer and a leading expert on terrorism, told Hindustan Times.

It has always been Qaddafi’s biggest enemy and its stronghold is Benghazi.

Al Qaeda is now largely in control of Libya. Indeed, Al Qaeda flags were flown over the Benghazi courthouse once Gaddafi was toppled.

(Incidentally, Gaddafi was on the verge of invading Benghazi in 2011, 4 years after the West Point report cited Benghazi as a hotbed of Al Qaeda terrorists. Gaddafi claimed – rightly it turns out – that Benghazi was an Al Qaeda stronghold and a main source of the Libyan rebellion. But NATO planes stopped him, and protected Benghazi.)

In 2011, Ambassador Stevens was appointed to be the Obama administration’s liaison with the “budding Libyan opposition,” according to ABC News. Stevens and the State Department worked directly with Abdelhakim Belhadj of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. Belhadj has direct connections to al-Qaeda.

CNN, the Telegraph, the Washington Times, and many other mainstream sources confirm that Al Qaeda terrorists from Libya have since flooded into Syria to fight the Assad regime.

Mainstream sources also confirm that the Syrian opposition is largely comprised of Al Qaeda terrorists. (Indeed, the New York Times reported last week that virtually all of the rebel fighters are Al Qaeda terrorists.)

The U.S. has been arming the Syrian opposition since 2006. The post-Gaddafi Libyan government is also itself a top funder and arms supplier of the Syrian opposition.

This brings us to the murder of ambassador Stevens …

The Wall Street Journal, Telegraph and other sources confirm that the US consulate in Benghazi was mainly being used for a secret CIA operation.

Continued at:-
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/05/its-dishonest-to-talk-about-benghazi-without-talking-about-the-syrian-war.html

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

+10000. THIS is really the story. What was the US Ambassador doing there knowing all of that? riderinthestorm May 2013 #1
Yes yes yes! +1000000 dkf May 2013 #4
K&R Solly Mack May 2013 #2
Holy cow I had never heard this part before... dkf May 2013 #3
And this is why the Bengazi 'scandal' is going nowhere. reformist2 May 2013 #5
No. If Benghazi goes nowhere it's because 2 governments DevonRex May 2013 #16
There was s story out about a year ago. Wellstone ruled May 2013 #6
I'll take trying to create an Iran 1979 moment to turn Obama into the ReTHUG conceptualization malaise May 2013 #7
When this first happened and I'd put on my tinfoil hat deutsey May 2013 #8
Blowback. nt bemildred May 2013 #9
This is a valuable and well-written summary of the back story behind the attack. But, nothing leveymg May 2013 #10
+1. I remember leveymg. Very few people participated in those threads but you were there... nt riderinthestorm May 2013 #11
Thnx. The twisting of the narrative by the GOP probably benefits Obama in the long run by obscuring leveymg May 2013 #12
Syria and Iraq are far from over -- the whole region is a tinder-box FarCenter May 2013 #17
I smell a steenkin' Petraeus in this story. Whisp May 2013 #13
you know how the Pugs accuse the opposition of the same things they themselves do. Whisp May 2013 #14
"A source told Fox News" and "Rand Paul told CNN"... DevonRex May 2013 #15
Arms smuggling to Islamic Extremists in Syria TakeALeftTurn May 2013 #18
The "Arab Spring" will be the point at which Sunni Islamist Arabs began to consolidate their power FarCenter May 2013 #19
Weekend kick for a really important story nt riderinthestorm May 2013 #20
"Move along. Nothing to see here." - Generalissimo Pet Ray Us (R) Berlum May 2013 #21
Is this the old Rand Paul story being recycled? HereSince1628 May 2013 #22
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»It's Time To Discuss The ...»Reply #18