Earlier this year, President Obama signed a secret order authorizing US support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to US officials.
Obama’s order, known as an intelligence “finding,” gives broad authority to the CIA and other agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad, like communications equipment, intelligence, and other kinds of non-lethal assistance.
According to reports, this specifically does not include directly giving the Syrian rebels weapons. The Obama administration is, however, using the CIA to help facilitate the delivery of weapons to rebel militias from other allies like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
This news doesn’t change what has been known for months about the Obama administration’s approach to Syria, but it does emphasize how explicit their goal of regime change by proxy is.
This US support, technically both lethal and non-lethal, is dangerous policy. Al-Qaeda militants and other Sunni extremists are becoming a greater and greater part of the opposition in Syria, which has been shown to have committed human rights abuses. This has prompted criticism from Russia and others that America is aiding terrorists.
The CIA is supposedly employing a “vetting process” to avoid having the aid get into the hands of Islamic extremists, but the process is made up of untrustworthy, third-party sources and intelligence officials have recently told the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times that the truth is that the US doesn’t know who is getting the money and weapons.
Apparently, even arming and strengthening al-Qaeda isn’t enough to disrupt Washington’s plan to change the regime in Syria, in order to eliminate Iran’s main ally in the Middle East and to gain an even stronger foothold in the region.
But extremist infiltration of the Syrian opposition carries other problems. The Obama administration runs the risk of helping to bring these extremists to power if and when the Assad regime finally does collapse. Moreover, as happened in Afghanistan after the US proxy war there with the mujihadeens, the potential for deadly blowback is very real.
CIA vetting – only people without morals, integrity, honesty or have a conscience something like their leaders
Here we go again.
Now it's an advertised covert support, to be precise. Usually you need advertising when a product doesn't sell very well.
So, what happens when China or maybe Russia decides there needs to be "regime change" in these here United States of America? Clandestinely of course. Proxy wars are always clandestine.
If Obama has been secretly funding the Syrian rebels then he has the blood of Syrian children, parents and grandparents on his hands
Nothing new here. They've been helping their "rebels" for some time now.
They're just making it public now.
Very deceptively written article…. brings no new news and argues one side… what about all the weapons the Russians are pumping in without apologies?
Russia tried to have Syria hold elections and Putin had Rosoboronexport hold weapon shipments till it was clear as a blue sky that the Kingdoms of the gulf and King Hopium himself were pumping the Al Qadia types with weapons.
I wonder if Eric Holder has been 'secretly' appointed to ensure this 'non-transfer of lethal aid' and/or 'transfer of non-lethal aid' (whatever it's 'officially' being described as now) to the "peaceful protesters" in Syria operates smoothly…
Given Holder's recent experience with Fast and Furious, I can't think of any other top Administration official in this particular situation more qualified to handle the potential future political fallout if, and when, it becomes clear to the 'public' what's actually happening now with respect to US involvement in the Syria 'situation' is not what Mr. Obama is describing it as–in fact, most likely the opposite in many cases…I thought this would be 'clear' enough by now–considering Mr. Obama's feigned concern and obvious disingenuous calls for 'the bloodshed to end' in Syria occur several times a week now–many of these 'calls' for 'the violence to end' immediately preceding, and following, Administration officials publicly encouraging and celebrating armed 'rebel' offensives against civilian population centers described as 'Assad strongholds' (the actual term used by many of these same Administration officials)…but picking up these (not-so) subtle contradictions is obviously too complicated for many of the 'lame-stream' media bloviators…many of who most likely share Mr. Obama's inconsistent and contradictory views and 'concern' for the "people of Syria"…but I guess this is apparently not obvious to everyone…
This is the last resort for US and England to having a supporter in the region.., helping these barbarians and other Islamic terrorism in the region, helping Israel apartheid regime.., if you have seen the photos of how these barbarians act as barbarians killing people without any justification then you understand that this is the last resort on this earth for US and EU being able to operate under their faked and falsified slogan democracy, an empty word with a fake leader as Obama and David Cameron, a fake and a falsified gustier to the world.
By white house denying the fact that US is not helping these barbarians yet admitting that CIA is involved and US government approving the delivery of weapons by the Saudis and UAE, the Turkish and Jordanian government and others is same as admitting to the fact yet lying about it., this is not the first time that US or for that matter the English or Turkish or Saudis and UAE is lying, this lying started with Hillary Clinton when she started the English, US, Saudis and UAE agendas knowing the outcome, since last year she is talking more of her lies or how to hide the truth, this is simply a NEW Fascism agenda, feed by the US democratic party and rest of the EUs falsified democrats and Liberals. Close the US democratic party, there is no democracy is coming out of this political party but a falsified suggestion that US is a democratic system.
Just want to make sure I understand – who are the Barbarians? The majority of Syrians who've lived under a horrible, repressive regime for decades and are finally rising up against it? Or the regime that's kept people in fear by having them spy on each other (East Germany style), and jailing, torturing and killing anyone who spoke out?
The Barbarians are those which their photos is published all over the world. those who mass killing people, those whom are supported by the Saudis feudalism and UAE monarchism, those who have betrayed the arab people and given their land to US – EU imperialism – militarism regime to be protected by yet another barbarians as Al Queada. Al Queda is fake, so as the democracy that these regimes presenting, Assda regime might not be the best in the world, but the Syrian government have managed to develop the country to a modernized and have become a self-reliant country.., but in the other hand there is no whatsoever kind of democracy in Saudis nor for that matter in UAE and that what these thugs want to implement in Syria. Saudis UAE and their thugs presenting themselves as Jihadist, the affiliated sects belonging to Al Queada and “rebels" without a cause, without a social economic or political programs are nothing but “street intellectuals, left overs working for CIA and EU government”, living in Paris or Washington or London getting paid by Saudis and UAE. These people don’t know nothing about Syria because non of them lived in Syria, they left the country when it was their time to run.
You want justice in Syria you already have it, you want religious diversity, you already have it, there are Muslims, there are Christians, there are freedom of religion and a social political changes for people to chose which the majority of the Syrian people have voted for, you in the other hand have no idea what is going on in Syria nor understand the reality, you in the other hand just want to change from a bad situation to worse because you don’t know shiiiiit about Syria nor middle east or for that matter the US and EU politics toward people in middle east, ummmbaaaludahha.
It’s known that Syria is supported by Russia. And that’s something the west doesn’t like so Assad must go.
Under the NDAA, doesn't the entire administration get put into indefinite detention for aiding and abetting Al Qaeda, or at the very least "associated forces"? It's pretty clear that the rebels if not Al Qaeda themselves are associated!
Unfortunately no , as that litte clause about "hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners" ensures that they can still go on supporting terrorism as long as its directed against neutral or enemy countries.
Also, they are lucky that the US District Judge blocked section 1021.