President Obama’s eve of 9/11 speech in which he declared ‘war’ on the Islamic State, formerly ISIS, contained a commitment to arm and support so-called moderate Syrian opposition to assist in “degrading and ultimately destroying” the Salafist Jihadist self-declared Caliphate. He may have been referring to the Free Syrian Army. But which Free Syrian Army (FSA)? One group has been headed by American –Syrian members of the Muslim Brotherhood who have dominated the Syrian National Council like Louay Safi with access to the White House. Moreover, as we have learned tragically, it is this Free Syrian Army, with a Supreme Military Command in Erdogan’s Ankara, that purportedly sold American Journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, who were barbarously murdered by ISIS. Those graphic beheadings deliberately conveyed on videos aroused American public opinion demanding action that prompted Obama’s televized address to the nation. In August 2014, President Obama dismissed the moderate Syrian opposition as a group of “bankers, doctors and pharmacists”. Dramatically, one leader of the “moderate” Syrian opposition Dr. Kamal al-Labwani, a veteran Syrian secular opponent of the Assad regime, surfaced in Israel this week at the annual International Counter Terrorism (ICT) Conference in Herzliya. According to the Times of Israel , who interviewed him, he is in Israel for 10-days on what Labwani “ described as ‘academic’ and ‘exploratory’ and stated he was prepared to meet with Israeli policymakers “whenever they want.” Labwani’s attendance at the ICT conference may reflect the outreach by the other FSA led by the Syrian Opposition Coalition headquartered near embattled Aleppo composed of ex-Assad military including Alawites, Christians and Sunni tribal leaders currently battling ISIS inside Syria. My colleague Ilana Freedman estimates through her sources that there could be as many as 50,000 Syrian opposition fighters in this ‘other FSA’. Listen to a discussion of President Obama ISIS Strategy and Syria with Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, Dr. Walid Phares and Jerry Gordon, a Senior editor of the New English Review on the Lisa Benson Show today at 4PM EDT.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 10:08:04 +0000