Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) continues its campaign against the Kurdish minority in Syria’s Aleppo Province today, kidnapping at least 120 Kurdish civilians from Ihras, near the Azaz border town.
The civilians were marched out of the town by AQI, and their whereabouts are now unknown. These 120 are in addition to the 51 Kurds kidnapped by AQI late last week.
Those civilians were all taken from Aleppo Province as well, showing that while Kurdish militias have successfully ousted AQI from Syrian Kurdistan, Kurds outside of their autonomous region are becoming a growing target.
UN officials have reported that abductions in general are on the rise in Syria, with not just Kurds but secular rebels and journalists becoming popular targets in recent weeks.
But if they disavow Al Qaeda – if only temporarily – the US and UK will be happy to ship them weapons and supplies (see "US open to backing Syria's Islamists" under Breaking News) to continue the stalemate indefinitely. So much for all the rhetoric – post gas attack – about concern for the lives of Syrian civilians.