The Syrian Crisis

[nrupatunga]

US pledges another $380 million to help war-torn Syria

Secretary of State John Kerry promised an extra $380 million in international humanitarian efforts for war-devastated Syria on Wednesday.

The money brings the total amount the U.S. has pledged to help provide water, food, medical care and shelter to those affected by the three-year civil war to $1.7 billion.

Kerry made the announcement in Kuwait at an international donor conference intended to help the United Nations reach a $6.5-billion aid target for the crisis -- the largest appeal in the world body's history. Kuwait promised $500 million at the same meeting.

 

[The Messiah]

Iran must declare war on puppets of west in the region ie saudis, gulf kingdoms and pakis.

In that case India might be inclined to help also, you can leave the pakis to us..saudis will be a roll over.

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Hundreds of British jihadists in Syria from dec 2013

More than 300 Britons are fighting with jihadist groups in Syria, raising concern that they will return trained in the latest terrorist techniques.
Syria is considered within Whitehall as a greater threat to national security than the al-Qaeda heartlands on the Afghan-Pakistan border because of the sheer numbers of British Islamists heading to the war zone.

Intelligence sources told The Telegraph that Britons make up the largest contingent out of about 1,000 Westerners fighting with Islamist groups against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

France and Australia each have about 200 citizens fighting in Syria, with others coming from countries including the US and Canada.
On Tuesday, Richard Walton, the head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, said that children as young as 16 were travelling to Syria to fight.
Related Articles

The prospect of hundreds of battle-hardened extremists returning to Britain with sophisticated training and practical experience of bomb-making and weaponry has become a grave cause of concern in recent months.

A senior Whitehall source said: "The large number of British Muslims travelling to Syria to wage jihad against the Assad regime is developing into a major security issue for the UK. They are openly associating with Islamist terror groups like al-Qaeda, and the concern is that, once they have finished fighting in Syria, they will try to return home and wage jihad on the streets of Britain.

"Not only will they be battle-hardened as a result of their experience in Syria, they will also have been trained in all the latest terrorist techniques."
Mr Walton, speaking at a conference organised by the business group London First, said there were already indications that Britons were returning from Syria with orders to carry out attacks, with the Metropolitan Police carrying out a "huge number of operations" to protect the public.

He said: "I don't think the public realises the seriousness of the problem. The penny hasn't dropped. But Syria is a game-changer. We are seeing it every day. You have hundreds of people going to Syria, and if they don't get killed they get radicalised. So it's the impact when they come back.

"I think the implications over the next three to five years are very profound. We have got probably around 200 Britons who have gone to Syria and some have returned."

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is considering stripping terrorism suspects of their citizenship by cancelling their passports if they go abroad to fight, preventing them from returning to Britain.

Such a move would leave jihadists stateless, but Mrs May has repeatedly said that a British passport is a "privilege, not a right". She has revoked the British passports of 16 dual nationality terrorism suspects and plans to go further by passing a law that would allow her to do the same with people who have only one nationality.

Last month Andrew Parker, the head of MI5, told a parliamentary committee that Syria had become "a very attractive place for "¦ those who support or sympathise with the al-Qaeda ideological message"
.
Some of the jihadists are using social media websites to boast about their experiences of "five-star jihad" in the hope of encouraging others to follow them. They include Islamists from London and Portsmouth.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...7/Hundreds-of-British-jihadists-in-Syria.html

 

[cobra commando]

Sources See Russia Increasing Military Equipment Deliveries
to Syria


Sources See Russia Increasing Military Equipment Deliveries to Syria | Business | The Moscow Times

 

[amoy]

http://rt.com/news/russia-china-naval-drills-838/

Russia and China have agreed to conduct a joint naval drill in the Mediterranean Sea, a Russian media report cites the Defense Ministry. The countries' fleets are currently involved in an intl operation to escort the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile.

The Defense Ministry said on Sunday that group of Russian naval officers deployed onboard a heavy nuclear missile cruiser "Peter the Great" visited Chinese frigate Yancheng.

"On board the Chinese patrol ship, Russian sailors discussed with their foreign counterparts the possibility of joint tactical exercises in the Mediterranean Sea. Under the agreement, such exercises can be carried out in the near future in an effort to improve the level of operational compatibility between Russian and Chinese warships during joint operations in the eastern Mediterranean," the statement from the Ministry of Defense said.

The main aim of the joint naval exercise would be to increase the level of operational cooperation between the two navies designed to tackle terrorist threats and improve joint rescue operations at sea, the Ministry explained.

On January 7, both counties escorted the first consignment of Syrian chemical weapons materials that has left the country on a Danish ship. This became the first practical interaction between the Russian and the Chinese navies.

The Chinese Department of Defense noted that Captain Pyshklov, commanding officer of the Mediterranean Combat Group of the Russian Navy, praised the performance of the Yancheng during the escort operation, while his counterpart, Li Pengcheng spoke highly of the important role the Russian Navy played in the escort operation for the ships transporting Syria's chemical weapons.

In July, Russia and China held a three-day joint naval military exercise. The "Naval Interaction-2013" in the open waters off the Port of Vladivostok became China's largest overseas military exercises in terms of the number of troops deployed outside its territorial waters. Seven Chinese warships including four destroyers, two frigates and one comprehensive supply ship took part in the war games.

Also Commanders of China-Russia joint escort taskforce hold tactical discussion
Video clip Chinese frigate to escort chemical arms out of Syria

 

[nrupatunga]

U.N.'s Reversal on Iran Prompts Outcry From Syrian Allies

Less than 24 hours after issuing a surprise invitation to Iran, Mr. Ban rescinded it on Monday in the face of protests from the United States, from Syria's exiled opposition, which threatened to boycott the talks, and from Saudi Arabia, Iran's regional archrival.

 

[nrupatunga]

Opening of Syria peace talks was anything but peaceful

The government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and its opponents traded verbal barbs Wednesday as a long-awaited Syrian peace conference opened in this Swiss lakeside city under the auspices of the United Nations.

Representatives of more than 30 nations gathered at the glitzy resort town along Lake Geneva in the most ambitious international effort yet to end an almost 3-year-old conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives, forced millions from their homes and sown instability throughout the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry reiterated the Obama administration's position that Assad is obliged to step down as part of any transitional Syrian administration that emerges from the nascent peace process.

"There is no way, no way possible, that a man who has led a brutal response to his own people can regain legitimacy to govern," Kerry said. But the Syrian foreign minister, Walid Moallem, declared that no one had the right to "withdraw the legitimacy" of the government in Damascus except the people of Syria.

Syrian government and opposition leaders are scheduled to meet face to face when the conference resumes Friday in Geneva. Wednesday's session was designed largely as a ceremonial forum for speeches. However, the often-polemical tone of the day's oratory underscored the difficult path to any form of reconciliation.

 

[amoy]

The 4th Media » Iran Left Out in the Cold: Moment of Truth for Syria

The chaotic diplomacy that followed Iran's invitation and subsequent withdrawal from the talks within the space of a day appears have been caused by a supposition that the terms under which the conference is held are less woolly and ambiguous than they are.

The US and Russia have always disagreed since the first Geneva meeting in June 2012 about whether the departure of Mr Assad was an immediate aim or an ultimate long-term goal. In practice, since he controls almost all Syrian cities and his forces are advancing, albeit slowly, it is unlikely that Mr Assad would agree to step down or even seriously share power with the opposition. This was underlined when Mr Assad said in an interview yesterday that he might seek re-election later this year.

It is surprising that a diplomat as cautious as Mr Ban would not have cleared his offer to Iran with American officials at a senior level. A UN invitation would have freed the US of the embarrassment of issuing an invitation itself. Already, in insisting that the conference take place, the US and Russia have shown a determination to bring the war to an end which has not previously been in evidence.

The new mood of co-operation between the two countries stems from their joint success in removing Syria's chemical weapons peacefully after the US and Britain came close to launching air strikes last September in retaliation for poison-gas attacks in Damascus. The Syrian civil war involves many other outside players, notably Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have been locked in confrontation since the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in 1979.

Syria has also become the battleground for a deepening religious war between Sunni and Shia that is spilling out into Iraq and Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are more determined to see the civil war end with the defeat of Mr Assad than are the US and West Europeans who are increasingly fearful of the expansion of jihadi Islam and the growing strength of al-Qa'ida-type movements in Syria and Iraq.

Americans were particularly shaken to see the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) once more take control of Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, from which they were driven in a battle by the US Marines in 2004.

Meanwhile, in Damascus Mr Assad sounded confident in an interview with AFP, saying: "I see no reason why I shouldn't stand [in a presidential election this year]. If there is public desire and a public opinion in favour of my candidacy, "I will not hesitate for a second to run for election." He added that having members of opposition in his government was "not realistic" and that the talks in Switzerland should focus on fighting terrorism.

Mr Assad may be overconfident because political and military developments have been running in his favour. The opposition is not only split but is fighting a savage "civil war within the civil war" in which over 1,000 rebels were killed in the first two weeks of the year.

But the military stalemate on the ground remains very much where it was since last summer and the government has failed to capture rebel-held districts in Damascus. The long-term future of Syria is one of geographical division with each side holding on to well-defended enclaves.

The Geneva II negotiations were never expected to end the war in Syria, but they might de-escalate it significantly through local ceasefires and humanitarian assistance to besieged areas. These have often collapsed in the past but might be more stable under greater international scrutiny. If even a small section of the opposition does turn up in Geneva then its presence validates for the first time negotiations between the warring parties that have hitherto -simply wanted to eliminate each other.

The complexity of the Syrian war that has drawn in so many foreign players and become the focus of so many other conflicts – such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar vs Iran, Sunni vs Shia, the US and Israel vs Iran and the US against Russia – that it will be difficult to end. But there are some signs that the political temperature in the region is dropping.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul has called for a "recalibration" of Turkey's hostile policy towards Syria where it has done all it can to help the rebels overthrow Mr Assad but without success. The open 500-mile-long border between Turkey and Syria has been crucial to the success of the rebels in the north of the country. Turkey is therefore in a strong position to mediate or force concessions from both sides if it takes a more evenly balanced position. It is also seeking to improve its relations with Iran.

A further incentive for Turkey and others – such as state and private donors supporting rebels in the Gulf – to think about bringing an end to the conflict is the apparent success of Isis in counter-attacking other rebel groups that seemed to be making headway against it a fortnight ago. Isis has recaptured Raqqa, the one provincial capital held by the rebels, and taken important towns on the border with Turkey.

Powerful rebel groups like the Islamic Front, reported to be funded by Saudi Arabia, have failed to make any decisive headway against Isis. This puts in doubt Saudi hopes of establishing an Islamic military force capable of defeating both Mr Assad and al-Qa'ida.

The fate of the Geneva II conference is still in doubt, but several powerful participants in the Syrian war have an interest in bringing it to a conclusion or at least ensuring that it does not spread further. The endgame may not be yet at hand but opportunities for de-escalation are greater than ever before.


Syria conflict: the key players

Syrian regime

Speaking on Monday, President Bashar al-Assad reiterated that he does not intend to step down and would not share power with the SOC.

After Washington's decision to abandon air strikes against regime targets, pro-Assad forces have made considerable gains on the battlefield. Regime representatives said they would attend the talks.

Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC)

The SOC is the main political opposition to Assad. Based in Istanbul, the coalition is backed by the West, but has struggled to win the support of rebel fighters in Syria, who view its members as detached from the conflict and consumed with infighting. The SOC voted to attend talks in Geneva on the condition that the primary aim would be the formation of a transitional government and that Assad would have to step down.

The rebels

The myriad rebel groups fighting against Assad's forces possess many different ideologies, but most are opposed to peace talks in Geneva. They say victory can only be won on the ground and that Assad's government cannot be trusted in talks.

Iran

Assad's main foreign backer has previously been excluded from talks. The US and France said yesterday, before Iran's invitation was rescinded, that Iran would not be welcome unless it publicly backed the 2012 Geneva accord, which calls for the formation of a transitional government in Syria.

The West

Western countries have stuck to the demand that Assad must leave power. But given the regime gains on the ground and in the diplomatic arena, this has become far less realistic since Geneva I.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar

While the West has refused to support the rebels militarily, that gap has been filled by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The vast majority of funding to the rebels is thought to come from the two Gulf countries – with much of it flowing to Islamist groups. Saudi Arabia is thought to be the principal backer of Syria's largest rebel coalition, the Islamic Front.

Hezbollah

The Lebanese militant group has sent thousands of fighters to support Assad – a key backer of the group. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah views the fight in Syria as a threat to his party and to the region.

Russia

Russia has been a key backer of Assad throughout the conflict – both financially and materially – and has repeatedly vetoed any attempts to pass UN resolutions condemning the Syrian regime. Russia strongly opposes Assad's removal.

 

[The Messiah]

Leaving out iran on syria is the equivalent of leaving out India on afghanistan, the west policy is to isolate regional powers so that they can themselves fill the power instead.

 

[SajeevJino]

.

Possible Israeli Air Strike in Syrian Port Latakia


soon will be Updated

 

[SajeevJino]

Palestinian report: Israel strikes Syria's Latakia​

A Lebanese news website affiliated with the Christian Lebanese Forces and the March 14 Alliance news website reported late Sunday night that a loud explosion was heard in the area of Syria's port city Latakia.

Western media were reported as saying that the explosion came from an Israeli attack. Israeli security sources declined to comment.According to the sources, quoted in the Palestinian site Zamnpress, the attack was on an arsenal of S-300 rockets.

The circumstances behind the explosion are still unclear; however Syrian opposition sources confirmed that an explosion indeed occurred.

Lebanese reports on Sunday featured an abundance of hints to a potential Israeli intervention in the northern Levant.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar network reported Sunday morning that Israeli Air Force aircrafts were flying intensively in Lebanese airspace in the western Lebanon Valley, Beirut, Baalbek and Hermel.

It was also reported on Sunday by Voice of Lebanon radio station that IAF jets were scouring Lebanese airspace and hovering over the capital Beirut. Meanwhile, Lebanese El-Nashra news website reported that the IAF was operating in low altitude in the area of Baalbek in the Lebanon Valley.

The Lebanese army released a statement Sunday morning that two Israeli warplanes entered Lebanese airspace and flew in the country for over an hour.

In the past several months, Lebanese media reported on numerous IAF operations within Lebanese airspace. However, none of the cases included a strike on Lebanese soil.

Late October, it was reported that Israel struck in Syria. A White House official told CNN that IAF jets attacked the area of Latakia. According to the source, the target was rockets and rockets-related equipment that Israel feared would be transferred to Hezbollah. Al-Arabiya network claimed at the time that the Israelis also hit Damascus, where SA-8 missiles were destroyed.

In July, a Free Syrian Army spokesperson claimed that foreign forces have destroyed Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship missiles. It was further claimed that the attack was carried out with missiles from the sea.

Palestinian report: Israel strikes Syria's Latakia - Israel News, Ynetnews

 

[SajeevJino]

Turkish forces 'strike ISIL convoy in Syria' ​

Army attacks al-Qaeda-linked rebel convoy in Syria in retaliation for cross-border fire, local media reports.


The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda [AP]

The Turkish armed forces attacked a convoy of al-Qaeda-linked rebel vehicles in Syria in retaliation for cross-border fire on Tuesday, destroying three vehicles, Turkish media said.

Turkish troops opened fire on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) positions in northern Syria after a mortar shell fired from Syria landed in Turkish territory during clashes between ISIL and the Free Syrian Army, broadcaster NTV reported.

It said a pick-up truck, a lorry and a bus were destroyed in the Turkish retaliation on Tuesday evening.

There were no reports of casualties and NTV did not say exactly where along the border the attack occurred.

Turkish newspaper Todays Zaman retracted a report that claimed that Turkish fighter jets had hit the ISIL convoy in northern Syria.

The initial report said that Turkish F-16s had struck a number of ISIL vehicles "after militants opened fire on a military outpost" on the Turkey-Syria border on Wednesday.

NTV did not mention involvement of the Turkish air force.

Turkish media have cited a two-day escalation in hostilities between the sides, but the Turkish military has only retaliated with tanks and artillery fire.

Turkish forces 'strike ISIL convoy in Syria' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

 

[happy]

The last thing a 3-year-old Syrian said before he died: "I'm gonna tell God everything"

This picture is haunting and it's been floating around the internet with the sentence:

The last sentence a 3-year-old Syrian said before he died: "I'm gonna tell God everything"

And that's equally haunting. It's impossible to verify but the picture tells a story about the pain and suffering that exists in Syria right now. There are many in the media who would like to say this is because president Bashar al-Assad is a ruthless killer. And that's half true. Like other government leaders – he has engaged in war and with that war has come the death of tens of thousands and the displacement of over 1 million Syrians now living in refugee camps.

But this hasn't always been the case. This is the inevitable result of a covert war being waged by the U.S., Israel and other Sunni countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Our interests in taking down the Syrian dictator al-Assad are all about geo-politics. If we take out Syria – we neuter Iranian influence in the region. It has gotten so bad that al-Qaeda is now fighting on the same side as the United States government and Bashar al-Assad and his government are fighting al-Qaeda. And Syrians are all the victim of this massive global covert proxy war.

It has gotten to the point where we don't even know if the chemical weapons that were used in Syria were the result of al-Qaeda or the Syrian government. When it comes to matters of intelligence and propaganda – it's very hard to discern truth from fiction. But no one can deny that Syria was a very stable country until we decided to go in all guns blazing. We're not bringing democracy to the world – that's the sound of imperialism baby.

The last thing a 3-year-old Syrian said before he died: "I'm gonna tell God everything" - World Observer Online

 

[Kunal Biswas]

believe in Karma ..

 

[thethinker]

Activist Post: Confirmed: US CIA Arming Terrorists in Syria

Nothing new. That is what US does through out the world and that is how it has always been since it was formed.

Covert United States foreign regime change actions - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It does make you wonder though that when a nation built on blood and pain of others will get it's due and how severe the repercussions of it's misdeeds will be.

 

[thethinker]

Russian intervention in Syria against US backed rebels :


Russian "Spetsnaz" units fighting al-Qaeda terrorists in Syria - Charlotte City Buzz | Examiner.com

Units of Russia's special forces, Spetsnaz, left Sevastopol on Dec. 4, 2011, onboard the Black Sea fleet patrol ship Ladny, which linked up with the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and other vessels weeks later in the Mediterranean.

On Jan. 8, 2012, they sailed into the Syrian port of Tartus, where Russia has a large naval facility. It was there that a U.S. spy satellite reportedly caught Spetsnaz military advisors and weapons being unloaded.

Russian Special Forces and military advisors are in Syria to fight al-Qaeda and conduct counterterrorism operation.

These units are credited with contributing to major successes against al-Qaeda and other terrorist elements operating in Syria, including the US trained Libyan mercenaries who have infiltrated the country from Turkey"¦so much so that the government of Syria has declared "victory against rebel forces in the country".

 

[Virendra]

With the Syria talks winding up, Lebanon is in danger of being sucked into the instability that spiral out.
A lot of Syrian refugees pouring into Lebanon further escalate the issues.

Assad forces have yesterday rained hell on two Syrian cities via aerial raids, killing more than 100 people (rebels or unarmed isn't clear yet).
There was also a bomb attack in a Shia locality.

 

[nrupatunga]

Syrian peace talks end in stalemate after 'very slow' progress

U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said he thought there was more common ground than the sides recognized, although neither side budged an inch from their main positions.

The sides also failed to achieve more modest aims, like an agreement to allow aid convoys into Homs, Syria's third largest city, where thousands of civilians are trapped with no access to food or medicine.

Earlier at a news conference in Berlin, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Syria had no excuse for delays in ridding itself of chemical weapons, and urged it to move "very rapidly" to allow them to be shipped out of the country.

"Every indication we have is that there is no legitimate reason why that (removal) is not happening now," he said. "We want the Syrian regime to live up to its obligations and it is critical that very rapidly all those chemical weapons are moved from their 12 or so sites to the one site in the port (of Latakia) to be prepared for shipment out of Syria."

However one of Assad's main backers Russia, rejected Kerry's claims and said the June 30 deadline for the elimination of the weapons remained viable.

As expected, this conflict has to be sorted by war of attrition.

 

[kseeker]

Al-Qaeda Breaks with Syria Group in Mounting Feud - The New Indian Express

By Associated Press - CAIRO Published: 03rd February 2014 10:46 PM Last Updated: 03rd February 2014 10:48 PM
Al-Qaeda's central leadership broke with one of its most powerful branch commanders, who in defiance of its orders spread his operations from Iraq to join the fighting in Syria and fueled bitter infighting among Islamic militant factions in Syria's civil war.

The break, announced in a statement Monday, appeared to be an attempt by the terror network's leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, to establish control over the feuding militant groups in Syria and stem the increasingly bloody reprisals among them.

It also reflected a move by al-Zawahri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden as the group's leader, to reestablish al-Qaida's eminence in the jihadi movement in general, at a time when new militant groups have mushroomed not only Syria but around the region, inspired by al-Qaida's ideology but not linked to it by organization.

The announcement sharpens a dispute raging the past year between Al-Qaeda's central leadership and the faction known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which was created last year by the head of Al-Qaeda's branch in Iraq, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He formed the group to expand his operations into neighboring Syria in defiance of direct orders by al-Zawahri not to do so and to stick to operations within Iraq.

Now, the break is likely to spark a competition for resources and fighters between the two sides in what has become a civil war within a civil war as Syria's rebels fight against President Bashar Assad.

The past year, Islamic State — known by the initials ISIL — has taken over swaths of territory in Syria, particularly in the east. It has increasingly clashed with other factions, particularly an umbrella group called the Islamic Front and with Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front, the group that al-Zawahri declared last year to be al-Qaida's true representative in Syria.

That fighting has accelerated the past month. On Saturday, a double suicide bombing killed a senior commander in the Tahwid Brigade and an ambush elsewhere on the same day killed a commander of another faction, Suqour al-Sham. Both groups are part of the Islamic Front, and many blamed the Islamic State for the killings. Since Jan. 3, more than 1,700 people have been killed in fighting between Islamic State and other factions.

At the same time, the Islamic State's leader al-Baghdadi has brought his group back to the forefront in his homeland Iraq. The past month, his fighters rose up and virtually took over main cities of Iraq's western Anbar province, and they continue to hold out against sieges by Iraqi government troops. His group has sought to present itself as the voice of that country's Sunni minority against the Shiite-led government.

That has made al-Baghdadi a powerful force in the jihadi movement. Rival Islamic factions in Syria accuse him of trying to take over their movement in that country. Even his choice of the group's name, Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, was seen as a declaration that his force was the only real Islamic movement in the country.

In Monday's statement, al-Qaida's general command announced it has "no connection" with the Islamic State, underlined that the group "is not a branch of the al-Qaida organization," and said al-Qaida "is not responsible for its actions."

Al-Qaida did not condone the group's creation "and in fact ordered it to stop," the statement said.

It also condemned the infighting among Islamic groups, saying, "We distance ourselves from the sedition taking place among the mujahedeen factions (in Syria) and of the forbidden blood shed by any faction." It warned that mujahedeen, or holy warriors, must recognize the "enormity of the catastrophe" caused by "this sedition."

The authenticity of the statement could not independently be verified but it was posted on websites commonly used by al-Qaida.

Charles Lister of the Brookings Doha Center said the al-Qaida statement reflected its "attempt to definitively re-assert some level of authority over the jihad in Syria."

As tensions rose between the Islamic State and other groups, al-Qaida's central leadership "failed to take a genuinely commanding line," until the fighting forced it to act, he said in emailed comments. However, he doubted the Islamic State would back down, saying its attacks on rival factions "have been aimed at weakening opponents' key strategic strongpoints and command and control."

That is likely to mean further fighting with other jihadi factions.

Capt. Islam Alloush, a military spokesman for the Islamic Front, said al-Qaida's announcement came late but praised it for isolating the Islamic State. "This faction is without cover or cosponsor. It has been totally stripped after al-Qaida and the people abandoned it," Allouch told The Associated Press.

But the announcement also pointed to larger splits among the jihadi movement. Numerous militant groups sprung up in the turmoil since the Arab Spring uprisings began in late 2010, from Algeria and Mali to Libya and Egypt to Syria and Yemen. Most of them show a degree of respect to al-Qaida, but the central leadership has little control over them. Al-Qaida's leadership focuses on trying to direct its declared branches in North Africa, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and — until now — Iraq, while issuing statements offering advice to others.

Several jihadi ideologues had lined up in support of al-Baghdadi's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, particularly Abu Mundhir al-Shanqiti, an influential sheik believed to be from Mauretania.

The divisions were immediately clear from comments reacting to al-Qaida's new statement on Islamic militant websites. Participants in the sites' web forums quickly weighed in on both sides of the dispute. The participants, generally supporters of the jihadi movement, are registered by username pseudonyms but their views are believed to reflect the wide variety of sentiments within the movement.

Supporters of the al-Qaida statement denounced the Islamic State for defying the leadership and attacking its rivals. "Its mistakes have been getting worse day after day, and the (al-Qaida) leadership tried to advise and direct them," one participant, by the username Ahmed bin Ali, wrote. "But our brothers in the Islamic State listen to no one, no matter who."

But Islamic State supporters angrily said al-Qaida's leadership was turning its back on a powerful group fighting for the cause.

"The al-Qaida that we loved and prayed to God to make victorious died with the death of Sheik Osama (bin Laden)," one by the username Muslim2000 wrote. "God as my witness, al-Qaida did not do right by this mujahed group. Instead, it stood with its enemies."

 

[nrupatunga]

Chemical weapons deal strengthened Assad, says US intel chief

Last year's agreement to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons left President Bashar Assad in a strengthened position, and there appears little chance rebels will soon force him from power. "The prospects are right now that (Assad) is actually in a strengthened position than when we discussed this last year, by virtue of his agreement to remove the chemical weapons, as slow as that process has been," said James Clapper, director of national intelligence.

"I foresee kind of more of the same, sort of a perpetual state of a stalemate where ... neither the regime nor the opposition can prevail," he told the House intelligence committee.

Reuters reported last week that Syria has given up less than 5 percent of its chemical weapons arsenal and will miss this week's deadline to send all toxic agents abroad for destruction.

Clapper said the weapons removal was occurring at a "slow pace," and that two shipments totaling about 53 metric tons had left Syria so far.