Syrian Rebel Leader: Absent Outside Support, ‘We Will All Turn into Terrorists’
FSA leader pledges commitment to human rights, while warning of commitment to terrorism
Gen. Mustafa al-Sheikh, the leader of the Free Syrian Army, warned that if outside powers don’t quickly back the rebel fighters trying to overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, the rebels might all turn into terrorists instead.
“If there’s no quick decision to support us, we will all turn into terrorists,” he said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. “If you apply the pressure that’s been applied to Syria, it will explode in all directions. Terrorism will grow quickly.”
The US has been facilitating the delivery of weapons to the rebels from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, but has been reluctant to directly give the rebels any lethal aid. Part of the reason is that the so-called leadership of the FSA is hardly recognized by most of the fighters on the ground.
Notably, al-Sheikh’s warning is not very far from reality. US intelligence has recognized for some time now that the great bulk of the rebel fighters are jihadists, many having come from foreign countries, and some even fighting under the banner of al-Qaeda.
While issuing this warning, al-Sheikh is also trying to convince the West to more enthusiastically back the rebels. He claims he has established a command structure and published a manifesto giving lip-service for human rights.
But those efforts to appeal to the US for greater, and more lethal, arms support is ridiculous. Writing a manifesto about the FSA’s supposed commitment to human rights, while at the same time warning that they may just “turn into terrorists” doesn’t exactly fit.
Beyond this, the rebels are known to have committed war crimes, including executing captured Assad-supporters.
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mojo
November 9th, 2012 at 10:25 pm
These are the people whom are getting paid by the hour from Saudi king and other kings and queens from Europe, the Jordanians, the turkey and etc. to act as terrorist and terrorist Syrian people and that's exactly what this "general" means. These people have no other option but to be a terrorists because they don't have the Syrian people support, they never had and they never will; however, they can stay in turkey and be married with their Turkish "effendis" government to the end, that's what they deserve.
TooTrue
November 9th, 2012 at 10:27 pm
With outside support, they will merely turn into successful blackmailers.
Jaime
November 10th, 2012 at 5:55 am
How nice! Give us the weapons to kill wholesale because the way we're doing it right now is just not murderous enough. These terrorists are setting up car bombs in Damascus and Aleppo. What else do you need to hold them responsible for war crimes? And not only do they not deny it but they threaten that if they don't get what they want they will become even more butcherous.
MoT
November 10th, 2012 at 7:02 am
What a startling admission. Now I suppose Hillary will start clamoring that we "need to get more deeply involved" if only to stop the terrorism. The very terrorism she helped to instigate but lets not get sidetracked by the facts.
curmudgeonvt
November 10th, 2012 at 7:03 am
As if you wouldn't turn into terrorists anyway – just better armed. We have no business getting involved in ANY way in this civil war. Let them settle their differences.
pendulum
November 10th, 2012 at 7:54 am
crybabies
John_Muhammad
November 10th, 2012 at 8:22 am
HAHAHAHAHA !!!! Well, well, well- look at that. We get blackmailed by Israel with their 'give us tanks and planes or we'll have no choice but to use nuclear weapons' back in the day, and now the FSA is using the exact same play 'give us tanks and planes or we'll have no choice but to become terrorists'. Maybe Rev Jeremiah Wright really wasn't all that far off the mark when he railed about 'America's chickens coming home to roost'.
Omar
November 10th, 2012 at 9:40 am
And you'll turn into terrorists WITHOUT foreign support. in fact, I think you're terrorist right NOW . . . If I have to share the planet with terrorist anyway I don't see any pressing need to pay for the privilege . . . So f*ck off.
Tony
November 10th, 2012 at 11:57 am
They are learning how the United States of Mafia does business around the world.
R.C.
November 10th, 2012 at 11:59 am
They've been "terrorists" from day one.
Bianca
November 10th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
They HAVE BEEN TERRORISTS ALL ALONG, so what is new? Only terrorists kill innocent people, including children, in cold blood, as they did in Houla. Remember Houla — the masterpiece of the "revolutionaries", where they clumsily killed many civilians with the objective of blaming the Government! The problem was, Government was not even close! And all this happened, after the "revolutionaries" visited Kosovo, to learn from Kosovo Liberation Army how to kill civilians and blame it on government. And the bonus is, civilians start supporting the rebels with money– to stay alive.
Even though for a day or two, all western press jumped at the "Assad", promptly they stopped talking about it, when it became clear that the pictures provided by the militants were scenes from a funeral — in Iraq.
So, the terrorists are threatening to become terrorists! Now I have heard everything!
CanuckBC
November 10th, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Dear General, thank you for supporting our War-On-Terror – very profitable enterprise with no end-date, no defined opponents and no Rules-of-Engagement. This is why we need you, this is why we've supported you until now. We will start adding your fighters to our kill list so we have always enough targets.
james
November 11th, 2012 at 10:05 am
Please everybody, remember that most of the terrorists were and are supported by the Wahabis in Saudi Arabia. To stop terrorism and incitement from the middle east we have to deal with these zealots who hijacked a great religion. If this is not done soon, this General and his ilk will continue to flourish because people are basically stupid everywhere.
But we also should deal at the same time with American terrorism that fuels those people and gives them recruiting munition.
Bianca
November 11th, 2012 at 11:25 am
Correct. And as all efforts by France to set up a "government" in exile, then Turkey to host "Free" Syrian Army — failed miserably, it is time for Hillary to do the job. So, in Qatar, our faithfull ally in this mess, hundreds of people were rounded up, representing everything that Syrian emigration could offer. From islamists to communists. And the remarkable success was, a "preliminary' sign off on an "umbrella" group, that represents another "umbrellas". Most importantly, real opposition from within Syria did not take part. This looks like a diplomatic practice to paper over a resounding lack of success. Even is any of the exile groups sign anything — their "boots' on the ground are actually fighting each other. And the fighting will only increase if they feel betrayed by some foreign "representatives' they never heard off, signing something in their name. Good luck with the mess.
Mike
November 11th, 2012 at 5:55 pm
Eff these guys, they forgot the oldest one in the book, "don't start something you can't finish". You need us to do it for you? What a bunch of DA's.
Dave
November 12th, 2012 at 1:06 am
we wish the USA imperial gang stay away froel it for supporting any one. People of Syria will settle it for themselves, the way the Afghans setteled after Soviets left Afghanistan……..Talibanization of the whole country. People should be able to see how this world looks like without superpowers.
Dave
November 12th, 2012 at 1:36 am
let syrians settle their dispute just the way Afhgans setteled after Soviets had to withdraw defeated and the whole country was Talibanized. afterall, people are entitled to see how this world look like without superpowers