Iraq warns al-Qaida flowing into Syria

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By ZEINA KARAM

BEIRUT (AP) - Iraq asserted Thursday that al-Qaida insurgents are streaming out of the country to carry out attacks in Syria, an ominous development as the Syrian conflict enflames an already hostile region.

Extremists have been making inroads as the 16-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad grinds on, bringing a dangerous new element to the forces fighting to topple the regime.

The militants are taking advantage of the chaos and the violence gripping Syria, which the head of the country's U.N. observer mission said Thursday had reached "unprecedented levels."

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said authorities are worried that extremists could gain another foothold in Syria, posing a new threat to the stability of the entire region.

FULL story at link.



Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120705/D9VQU4603.html

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Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari speaks at a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, July 5, 2012. Zebari says the government has "solid information and intelligence" about al-Qaida militants infiltrating Syria from Iraq to carry out attacks. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

[2on2u]

1. Not a problem, drones know Syria, it's just that Syria doesn't know drones yet. n/t

[may3rd]

2. Karma coming home to roost

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, right, meets with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Damascus on April 4, 2007. Pelosi is the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Syria since 2003 for talks with the Syrian leadership on Iraq and other regional issues. Pelosi's visit was criticized by the U.S. administration. (Photo: AP).

Syria's failure to prevent Sunni fighters from infiltrating across its 450-mile border with Iraq is the most contentious issue dividing the two countries. While Syria strongly denies allegations that it is allowing its border to serve as an insurgent gateway, both the Iraqi and U.S. governments accuse Damascus of not doing enough to prevent the flow of insurgents, fighters, and financing into Iraq. Furthermore, Syria—a longstanding host to Iraqi dissidents—continues to harbor Iraqi Ba'athist officials, reportedly allowing them to organize meetings and engage in other political activities.

Insurgents crossing into Iraq from Syria generally fall into two categories: 1) pro-al-Qaeda jihadists transiting from the Gulf; and 2) former Iraqi Ba'athists and other Iraqi Sunni elements.
.....

http://www.usip.org/publications/syrias-relations-iraq

[Nuclear Unicorn]

3. Sowing and reaping.

Hubby said plenty of AQ people were coming from Syria while he was there. It also kind of shows that AQ thrives on the death, misery and chaos; host-killing parasites of the worst order.

[Nostradammit]

5. What gave them away? Their Al Queda jerseys?

The Al Queda graphics on their cars?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

6. But if they don't have uniforms then that would make them

unlawful combatants.

[Nostradammit]

12. Ummm... What?

Seriously, how did your husband ascertain that anybody coming from Syria was Al Queda?

[ImNotFrench]

28. Personally rolled some up myself...

Deployed to Iraq 2003-04, 2005-06, 2009-10, and 2011.

Sat on the Syrian-Iraq Border 2003-04. Like shooting fish in a barrel. Spent 2 years in Mosul, largely seen as a clearinghouse for AQ for movement from Iraq to Syria and back. At that time, mostly arms and money came from Syria into Iraq. A lot of money left Iraq along with the Ba'athist leadership for Syria for safekeeping at the initial onset of the 2003 invasion. I was with the 101st as an infantry platoon leader.

I'm not sure what to say to people who don't believe AQ exists. One of them shot me in the chest in June 2003. I'd prefer to believe that didn't happen. I'm pretty certain they do exist, they killed my RTO in the same attack, and killed my best friend in December 2006.

AQ is an umbrella organization. Many groups exist under the AQ banner. It's not like finding Bigfoot or anything. Pretty open secret, unless you simply want to not believe.

[Nostradammit]

29. Ok, thanks, cowboy.

Did the one who shot you in the chest announce to you that he was Al Queda?

I'm sure Al Queda exists, the CIA created them. What I don't understand is how anyone is certain that any given insurgent is a member of Al Queda.

[RandySF]

4. I don't trust anything Iraq says or does. nt.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

7. There is no "al Qaeda"

Some little pissant groups like to say are because they think it sounds cool.

It's like some wanabe biker on a 350 Honda claiming to be a Hells Angel.

[Kolesar]

9. Or some poor Japanese cannon fodder soldier being told he is a samurai ... eom

[24601]

15. So in effect, you are calling President Obama a liar. Perhaps you would be more comfortable

over in the Ron Paul campsite.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. Nope. I'm a Kucinich supporter

He knew it was an exaggerated threat from day one cooked up by the Bush bastards.

Watch this:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8528466337443301416

He did this speech February 17, 2002 just five months after 9/11.

I love the line about Ashcroft covering up the statue of Justice.

[may3rd]

17. Dennis is a man without a seat in congress

He lost the race to more than a woman challenger.
History repeats in 2012 for those who care to listen

&feature=relmfu

[Spitfire of ATJ]

21. LOL!!!

He wasn't rejected by the voters who kept him in office. His district was eliminated by Republicans so he had no choice but to run against a fellow incumbent liberal Democrat in her own district and he expected to lose.

I suppose this video is supposed to make everyone consider him to ge wrong, a traitor to Obama and a nut but it doesn't. It makes people who want to change America's role in the world admire him for standing on principle.

BTW: He's still in Congress right now.

[may3rd]

24. He's a duck in Ohio and recently decided not to seek a seat in Seattle Washington

Oh
and that video I posted, yes,
that kind of talk gets one thrown under the bus. We will see how the war powers act plays out in Syria. Think it will be ignored like in Libya? And you are ok with that


btw,
I wonder what Obama said to Dennis on the air force one flight that turned him from a firebrand liberal into a passive poodle lapdog ? Yes, you know the incident and vote needed I'm talking about.

anyway
The voter turnout was pathetic as you already know and Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) took the district but why do you fault her ?


Although there is a current petition drive to overturn the gerrymandered districts of Ohio, Dennis will have to wait to see if enough signatures will get the lines redrawn .

Honestly, with the redraw, he wasn't a shoe in for reelection and needed to $pend in order to get new democrats to vote for him.
I blame no voter turnout.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dennis-kucinich-loses-ohio-primary-challenge-is-this-a-career-ending-defeat/2012/03/07/gIQAhQMPxR_story.html

[Spitfire of ATJ]

25. Where did I fault her at all?

Like I said, he ran against a fellow liberal democrat and expected to lose.

As you stated, he was gerrymandered.

Don't for a minute expect him to go away. He'll pop up somewhere.

BTW: Rumor has it what Obama did on Air Force One was offer Denise a cabinet level position in his second term.

Some Kucinich supporters even go so far as to say Obama may appoint him to head up a Department of Peace but I doubt it. One guy I know suggested United Nations Ambassador.

We'll see.

[Comrade Grumpy]

20. Who made you the PC police?

[24601]

22. Not who, but what - and that would be the 1st Amendment.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Wait..just wait a damn minute....help me figure out who's on first here..

We gotcher "insurgents"
and we gotcher "militants"
and we gocher " extremists"
all of whom seem to also be called Al-Kaduh whenever we want an excuse to drone a country they are in...
Oh..and we gotcher "rebels" sometimes
and then there are the "Taliban" ( who thankfully seem to stick around in one country)

I'm all confused about who we are supposed to be rooting against...

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. They never use "Rebels"

It causes a system glitch on the next boot...

[img][/img]

[Ruby the Liberal]

11. Read my mind.

Who is on what team, and what are the teams? Do they have colors, or skin/shit dark/light?

Which side are we rooting for (and or funding, and or getting ready to bomb) and how often does that change?

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. Best as I undeerstand it, from the teeVee all these years, is:

We are supposed to be on the team that wears the white hats and/or white skin.
The other team names can be interchangeable....
and we are supposed to root for whoever is against ..."them"
and it changes depending on whenever anyone that used to be on our side has something we want.

Oh..and no more intermissions/ half times/time outs anymore.
Seems to be a non-stop game now, tho there are some instant replays of previous plays from years back.
(Iraq invasions being an example)

[joshcryer]

14. I heard the same crap about Libya.

al-Qaida, al-Qaida, al-Qaida!

[may3rd]

18. Same story cooking in Syria

but the spin is "Get rid of Assad, and all the problems will end"....

[riderinthestorm]

19. No, with Libya it was only Arab Spring revolutionaries! NOT Islamists, no AQ,

no foreign interference ... lather, rinse, repeat.

Syria has also been (mis) represented as simply an Arab Spring group of revolutionaries bravely trying to oust a tyrannical dictator.

Of course, until its apparent to even the most obtuse propaganda mouthpieces (DU has their own Baghdad Bobs) that this isn't what it is, not at all.

[joshcryer]

23. Islamists and AQ were never denied by me.

Merely put into perspective.

There is what I feel an islamaphobia when it comes to the Arab Spring. Call someone an islamist, and pow, under the bus.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

26. We heard the same thing all through Central and South America too

Only it was "Communist" "Communist" "Communist".

In some cases all it was is the last of a native population dating back before the Conquistadors.

All it took was for the Soviet Union to say it wasn't right for us to intervene and we took that as a green light to intervene.

Keep in mind that while people were dying in Nicaragua and Honduras including priests and nuns getting executed we had our people over in Moscow in booze and sex parties.

Must really frustrate those old Cold War types that they don't drink in the Middle East.

It's ALL a game to them.

And we are the ones being played.

[may3rd]

27. Same things said about southeast asia...domino theory and all

now
"Charlie" LOVES us and wants us back
YAY !