You don’t say.
(Washington Examiner) — Al Qaeda and other extremist groups have increased their presence in Syria in recent months to aid rebels trying to overthrow that country’s government and solidify their standing in the region, senior analysts and U.S. officials said.
The organizations’ ultimate goal is to create an Islamist state once Syrian President Bashar Assad is deposed, said Ed Husain, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Meanwhile, rebel commanders fighting to oust Assad said Thursday they moved out of the strategic district of Salah al-Din as fighting intensified in the northern city of Aleppo. Syrian military aircraft continued to pound rebel strongholds, though the anti-government forces continue to hold other parts of the city.
Al Qaeda forces are flowing into Syria from Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and from as far away as England, Husain said. Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri recently called on fighters to join with the Free Syrian Army in its effort to overthrow Assad, potentially raising the stakes for the U.S., which hasn’t done much beyond encouraging the rebels, a U.S. official said on the condition that he not be named. […]
It doesn’t necessarily mean that Islamists will succeed, but “we’re at risk here of ignoring the rise of a jihadist regime … and, with or without Assad, al Qaeda will play an important role for months to come,” Husein added.