Syria’s Rebel Free Syrian Army Downplays Extremist Fighters
'Maybe 500 Jihadists in Aleppo,' Commander Claims
In an interview with the Associated Press, Col. Abdel-Jabbar Aqidi, the commander for the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Aleppo, sought to downplay the number of foreign jihadists inside the rebel movement, saying at most 500 jihadists are in Aleppo.
The estimate is far lower than what other reports would indicate, as while no numbers have been given they have repeatedly suggested a growing number of Islamist factions in Aleppo setting themselves up against not only the regime, but against secular rebels and promising to install a theocracy nationwide.
The comments appear designed to placate Western concerns that the funding they are providing to the rebels is ending up backing al-Qaeda linked factions, with Syria complaining to the UN that “thousands” of terrorists have entered through Turkey.
Turkey has openly backed the FSA, but have also seemingly turned a blind eye to the number of fighters flocking from Northern Africa, Libya in particular, with an interest in joining the rebel movement. Though it is impossible to get accurate figures from inside Libya, the “500 jihadists in Aleppo” claim seems an underestimation.
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mojo
September 21st, 2012 at 2:29 am
They can claim as much as they want, the path for these barbarians is simply located in Europe main and larger cities like Stockholm, Sweden, London or in Germany and France. These elements crawling all over the europe waiting to be either picked up or ordered to be sent to Syria. Irony here is that the secret services of named counteries so as the relevant governments they all know who these people are, why they are there and what they are waiting for. But as long as these liberals neo fascism, especially in Sweden making deal with Saudi Arabia, sending their kings to saudi arabia recognizing the Saudis or UAE regimes is a sign that Swedish tyrants also playing a role in all this unjust and
Brutal war conducted, suportedc by European monarchism. This war is no longer fits the wording "democracy" but it has become a religious war orchestrated by NATO, supported by the European tyrants as king of Sweden and the religious government of turkey which is a one of the member of NATO.