With
al Qaeda now seen by the U.S. as likely the only group in Syria
“militarily capable of challenging the Assad regime’s grip on
power, the U.S. is in the uncomfortable position of having to
rehabilitate 9/11 and current terrorists into supportable
“moderates.”
by
Whitney Webb
Last
week, Foreign Affairs, self-described as the “leading magazine for
analysis and debate of foreign policy,” published an article titled
“The Moderate Face of Al Qaeda.” The piece takes note of the fact
that al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, long known as Jabhat al-Nusra or
al-Nusra Front, changed its names numerous times in order to present
itself as “moderate” in comparison to other terror groups
operating in Syria, particularly Daesh (so called Islamic State).
Most
counter-terrorism and foreign policy analysts noted at the time that
al Qaeda-affiliated rebels’ attempts at rebranding were intended to
improve its chances of receiving funds from foreign governments and
to protect itself from Syrian, Russian airstrikes by becoming part of
the “moderate” opposition. Indeed, al Qaeda’s name changes led
the group — allegedly responsible for the 9/11 attacks and the
ostensible justification for the U.S.’ War on Terror — to be
dropped from the U.S. and Canada’s terror watch list.
However,
Colin P. Clarke, the author of the Foreign Affairs article, takes a
different approach, arguing that the rebranding “just might have
worked” to redefine the once-reviled terror group “as a
legitimate, capable, and independent force in the ongoing Syrian
civil war” that is “dedicated to helping Syrians prevail in their
struggle.” He further argues that this “could spell a situation,
at least in the long-term, in which al Qaeda begins to resemble the
Lebanese group Hezbollah,” a legitimate political party with a long
history of fighting actual terror groups like al Qaeda and Daesh.
Clarke
goes on to praise al Qaeda’s “penchant for cooperation” and
notes that “the group has even publicly announced that it will
refrain from attacking the West” in order to focus “its finite
resources on overthrowing the Assad regime” — which, according to
Clarke, is the “top priority of Syria’s Sunnis.”
Though
Clarke’s words paint a picture of a “moderate” al Qaeda
franchise, the evidence from Syria makes it clear that the group is
still as extreme and abhorrent as ever. The war crimes of al
Qaeda-affiliated rebels in Syria are numerous and well-documented.
They have massacred civilian communities, specifically targeting
religious minorities such as the Druze and Shia Muslims. Those who
were permitted to live under al Qaeda rule were subject to stonings,
amputations, floggings and worse for violating legal codes adopted by
the group. A recent massacre of civilians, conducted by al Nusra and
other al Qaeda affiliates in Syria, targeted evacuation buses of Shia
civilians, killing over 200 innocents. The dead included 116 children
who were lured towards a bomb with the promise of food by terrorists
affiliated with al Nusra.
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