The road to the Syrian Islamic terrorism

By Michael Rubin
Middle East Quarterly
Winter 2010

Seeded English original: Syria's Path to Islamist Terror

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It is possible that the Obama administration and congressional leaders have justified the renewal of dialogue with Syria because of their desire to move the peace process in the Middle East, it has ignored the important issue that lies at the heart of the Syrian threat to U.S. national security, a Syrian support for radical Islamic terrorism. All this may seem illogical and does not match the facts because of the feud last between Class upper-led regime and the Muslim Brotherhood, but there is compelling evidence indicating that President Bashar al-Assad has changed the strategic calculations and Syrian support for terrorism is crucial foreign policy of the country.

Background

In February 14.2005 been a huge explosion that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri as his motorcade drove through Beirut. All eyes fell on Damascus. Syria's leaders have defended: Hariri was a prominent Lebanese figure opposed attempts to give the pro-Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, an unconstitutional third term. Syrians have the means to carry out such an attack: The army occupied Lebanon for more than fifteen years. Syrian Military Intelligence (military intelligence) currency freely throughout the small state and maintain network operation there. Threatened Assad leader Hariri actually by allegations of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt in a meeting between Assad and Hariri by a few months before the assassination of Hariri, Assad told him: "Lahoud is me ... and if you are, and French President Jacques Chirac want me out of Lebanon, I will break Lebanon ", and this statement is explained by Jumblatt as a threat to kill Hariri.

In the wake of the assassination, Syria became an international pariah. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated fact-finding mission. This task has led to the establishment of an independent international organization achieved initially by a committee headed by German judge Detlev Mehlis. U.S. President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac, the two leaders who rarely "What match their point of view about the Middle East and agreed to isolate Syria diplomatically. U.S. State Department withdrew its ambassador, Margaret Scobey, and maintained only on the lower level of diplomatic presence in Damascus. Under tremendous pressure, Syrian army withdrew finally from Lebanon., but over the months and years later as that Assad hair vacuum in solidarity diplomatic west and began to members of Congress to challenge the White House and re-engage with Assad, began the Syrian regime in the development of cooperation with the UN investigators in the back burner. and Today Syrian cooperation with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which came after the most ambitious of Thakev, Disposable remember.

Obama's approach to dealing with Syria

Foundations Barack Obama campaigned on the axis of dealing "engagement" of his foreign policy. "Do not talk to the opponent does not make us makes us strong, but if we Mottagarafan" This is what announced during his election campaign. In his opening speech, declaring that "those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, they taught you on the wrong side of history, but we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

He said the Syrian regime that it would accept Obama's offer as long as the White House to extend his hand before the extension of the hands of Syria's grip. In a telegram of congratulations to Obama, the Syrian president expressed "hope that dialogue would prevail to overcome the difficulties that have hindered real progress toward peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East."

While the Syrian regime still did not cooperate after the investigation into the assassination of Hariri and stop its sponsorship and support for terrorism and to stop interfering in Lebanon or stop helping Hezbollah build its missile, the Obama administration wasted time in relieving the pressure on Damascus. This rush of the dialogue was to create a more conducive atmosphere for the post. On March 7, 2009, sent the State Department Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary of State and the highest U.S. official to visit Syria in more than four years to Damascus for talks with Syrian Foreign Minister. The Obama administration let him abrupt end to this situation, which began during the Bush administration, which forbade U.S. officials Elhoudoraly of the Syrian Embassy in Washington when it sent Feltman and his top aides, National Security Council for the National Day celebrations in Syria. Feltman post in this renewed engagement was symbolic because of what was formerly "from his position as an ambassador for his country at the Lebanon during the Cedar Revolution of 2005, when he led a diplomatic onslaught to rid Lebanon of Syrian influence and troops.

On June 24, 2009, the State Department announced that it would run again as ambassador to the U.S. embassy in Damascus. ) A month later, the Obama administration announced that it will ease the sanctions on Syria. A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ian Kelly said that "Senator (George) Mitchell [president's envoy for the Middle East, said President al-Assad that the United States would agree to all eligible applications for export licenses as soon as possible."

Although this did not include the mitigation of those sanctions imposed by Congress in the wake of the assassination of Hariri, it nevertheless reflects the desire of the White House to re-Syria period of frigidity. Will not necessarily act of Congress to find a balance on this enthusiasm to defeat even those sanctions. Less than two years only on the assassination of Hariri traveled Senators Arlen Specter (D-Pennsylvania), Bill Nelson (D-Florida), John Kerry (Democrat of Massachusetts), and Christopher Dodd (Democrat of Connecticut) to Syria to promote participation . Four months after the Alkengrs Leader Nancy Pelosi visited for the same purpose-Assad declared that "the road to Damascus is a road to peace."

Can Syria divorce from terrorism?

That the process of change Syria away from its alliance with Iran is a diplomatic priority for the Obama administration in its efforts to revitalize the peace process in the Middle East. Many Western diplomats and analysts have expressed the hope to reform Syria when the young leaves with Western culture Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez Assad, the hardline president of Syria in 2000. But the Damascus Spring proved ephemeral. Syria is still a police state at home help for terrorism abroad policy firmly rooted in the rejection of Israel's right to exist and opposition to American interests in the region. And the theory goes that since has been changed Syria will reduce the risk of Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq, and Syria may be able to collect its forces in Lebanon with making peace with Israel. According to Martin Indyk, director of the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution that "Syria is a strategic linchpin for dealing with Iran and the Palestinian issue, do not forget, everything is connected in the Middle East."

The quest to find a solution to the conflict in the Middle East is a noble goal. So far, the construction of this base on the goodwill of the Syrian is not naive, but requires the concept of Syria and its intentions in a way unrealistic. While many in Washington and other capitals continue to depict Syria as a secular state to a large extent, Thi essential leadership hostile to radical Islam today, the Syrian leadership encourages both radical Islam and al-Qaeda international. Traditional and virtual that rely on the support of radical Islam is limited to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf wealthy financiers to him is no longer valid. Bashar al-Assad is playing a game Khtabrh, first, "not only hostile to the interests of the United States in the short term but also employs a strategy that could undermine the stability of Syria in the long term.

It was not long after the start of military operations against Iraq in March 2003 when it began, the Pentagon expressing concern about Syrian support for the insurgency there. In a press conference held in Baghdad in 2004, said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time that "there are others of foreign fighters and we know into right that a lot of them found their way to Iraq through Syria for sure." According to some estimates, perhaps 80 percent of the foreign fighters who have infiltrated Iraq across the Syrian border entered. ) And they were quite officials about the most devastating suicide bombings in Iraq. The investigator found the Italian in recruiting foreign fighters in Italy that "Syria coin as a hub for al-Qaeda network." And Syrian President Assad has repeatedly denied any involvement in facilitating terrorism in Iraq. In 2007, he told ABC's Diane Sawyer: "If you have to heat the [terrorism] will Ihriqk. Though we had this mess in Iraq will be extended to Syria ... so this to say [that Syria is supporting the insurgency in Iraq, and this is similar to to say that the Syrian government is working against the Syrian interest. "

There are two propositions years "may disobedient understanding of the terrorist network. First is that the Sunni and Shi'a groups or governments do not cooperate. Consequently, some scientists say that it is impossible that the Iranian regime is providing weapons to the Taliban. In 2007, wrote Juan Cole, a professor at the University of Michigan , "One of the Most Liked charges made by Bush against Iran is that the Iranian government is actively arming and aiding the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. In fact, the Taliban are Sunni extremist resulted in the killing of large numbers of Shiites and Shiite Iran is unlikely to support them. "The evidence is overwhelming that the presence of U.S. forces seized truckloads of Iranian weapons headed to Taliban

Another argument false It applies specifically to Syria, is that secular regimes do not support the radical Islamist groups. The Egyptian government, for example, turned a blind eye for a long time to support Hamas terrorists through tunnels from Egyptian territory. Libya also has participation in this practice through the support of the Islamic resistance (terrorist group Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines so that the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi sought to present himself to the West as an ally in the war against radical Islam. To ensure U.S. national security, the United States must do analysis Indeed, instead of the image. despite hostility toward Assad declared Islamic terrorism and the promotion of the weakness of his regime towards radical Islam, it remains the record shows Syrian willingness to not only accept but also help Islamist groups and help the violence coming from Al-Qaeda.

Default, which says that the Syrian government will not support Islam is rooted in the history of virtual system troubled with radical Islam. Brotherhood native Egyptians groups established branches in Syria in late 1950. The group remained quiet for two decades, but in 1979, he began to engage in terrorism, most notably when members of the group killed one of dozens of students Asaker Alawites near the city of Aleppo. After three years of 200 Islamists staged an insurrection in the city of Hama, Syria, which is the fifth largest city in Syria, so the Syrian army to destroy a large part of the city, killing between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians, including women and children. After the wake of Hama, noted by many analysts that the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood renounced violence and only hands-conscious in Syria noticed it. Behind the veneer of the secular regime, Hafez al-Assad sought later to co-opt the Islamists.

In recent years, dropped the Syrian government blamed on terrorist groups local vague and often "did not reveal the name of her group Islamic. In July 2005, the Government of the Syrian Islamist terrorists to Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, although it is more often than not they Damascus refuses to hand over the terrorists, which indicates that the decision to release is linked to the need for diplomacy on the spot rather than comply with the initial counter-terrorism. Syrian government continues to seek to provide its image as Almjna them. in June 2006, national television showed in Syria, which is under the tight control the aftermath of a gun battle in Damascus between Islamists The state security forces, including suggesting that the Conservative government is very "secrets security wanted Ushers herself as a victim of Islamist extremists. Syrian government announced that the car explosion in Damascus on September 27, 2008, which killed seventeen people as evidence that Islamic extremists and in this case the Fatah al-Islam, the country targeted because of their cooperation with U.S. efforts to strengthen security along the border with Iraq. And considering throwing and fingered Fatah al-Islam may serve deflect suspicion supported by the Syrian government to the group's activities in Lebanon. There is a precedent for other violence such as the attack on the compound of the Danish embassy in Damascus during the crisis of the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed suggests that analysts may have to take consideration the possibility to falsify other incidents as well. Assad declared enmity towards Islam and radical groups affiliated with the base reflected in the traditional hatred towards the base of the Alawite regime in Syria. And a year before the September 11 attacks, the tactical commander of the Al-Qaeda group Omar Abdel-Hakim, better known by his practical Abu Musab al-Suri, he wrote a lengthy argument against the Syrian regime. Abu Musab al-Suri description 'Alawites as heretics, descendants of Shiite fanatics of Jews and Zoroastrians. And Hama, said it was not only the lives of more than 45,000 people a year killed civilians, but also the continuation of the Syrian security forces of killing an additional 30,000 people are Sunni Muslims over fourteen years. After his speech, religious about the meaning and necessity of jihad, seal Abu Musab al-Suri, saying: "I do not permissible for Muslims to remain under the rule of [upper] for one moment ... We must seek to kill them and cleanse the Greater Syria of their presence is the face of the earth, as it should kill them Kavrada groups, Sunni Muslims must do ambush and kill them all. "

Such hatred is the reality, but in the Middle East alliances turn and hostility can be deferred. Enemies cooperate against those who are considered a threat mutual. "Iran and the Taliban, who barely Thba each other were on the end of military conflict in 1998, however, and very themselves allied after a decade in the effort to undermine U.S. efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. For all his promises diplomatic about the lack of cooperation with terrorists, the evidence that Bashar al-Assad aids and abets Al Qaeda is compelling.

Syrians in the Iraqi insurgency

In September 2007, U.S. troops discovered in the town of Sinjar in northern Iraq twelve miles from the Syrian border, computers and a cache of documents, which included records of more than 600 foreign fighters who had infiltrated into Iraq in the period between the spring of 2006 and the summer of 2007. The documents show a pattern of behavior of the Syrian public statements to the contrary of the system and diplomatic posture. While the records indicate that the Syrian nationality to nationality was only 44 countries of foreign fighters behind Saudis (237) and Libyans (111), but the Syrians are the ones who coordinated the inclusion of almost all of the fighters mentioned in Iraq. The insertion of the Saudi terrorists is useful, especially because of the participation of Saudi Arabia and a long border with the state of porous Iraq. Saudi jihadists chose to fly to Iraq via Syria since Assad tolerance with Hiie not tolerate the Saudi leadership. It is also possible that the total number of Syrians are underrepresented because the Syrians have formed the majority of the detainees at Camp Bucca, a detention camp, the main U.S. in Iraq.

Syrian jihadists themselves come from all over Syria despite the fact that most of the area of ​​Deir al-Zour neighboring Iraq. Still others come from Latakia province, which is the family home of al-Assad and Damascus, Homs and Aleppo. Since the number is just thirty-four individuals, "the sample size of the Syrians listed in the Sinjar records too small to draw definitive conclusions about the roots of all the Syrian jihadists, but it is clear that the extremists come from all over the country.

Sinjar Records also remember in detail methods of recruitment. Most jihadists are "Brotherhood" is not necessarily of the Muslim Brotherhood group, but those who are perceived by recruits that they are religious or are members of extremist groups. Friends and relatives also recruited young Syrians for terrorist missions in Iraq. The most damning to the Syrian government's refusal to ease the guilt of terrorism is the Sinjar records indexed on that recruits arrived at the many Syrians through the Internet. Because of the strict control of the Syrian electronic communications, the Syrian statements that they do not know about these activities on their soil of recruitment are not credible.

Bringing attention on the extent and severity of this is due to recruitment efforts that nearly two-thirds of the Syrian citizens who volunteered to fight in Iraq and all those who were recruited from primary through the Internet have become suicide bombers. Recruit suicide terrorists is a complex process because it requires checking myself and teach Taking the Syrian government claimed to lack of knowledge of these activities in towns and cities, mosques, the future stability of Syria can not be assumed. It is likely that the Syrian regime has chosen to turn a blind eye to the recruitment of terrorists on its territory. Again, this should be the eye of the Syrian mysterious that raise concerns about the stability of the country in the future because of indicators to a weakness in the adverse reaction as he made these Islamic terrorists to return to Syria and the coup against the Assad regime.

Denied the Syrian government to facilitate the movement of Islamic terrorists are less credible because of the country's role as a transit point for fighters and weapons extremists. Almost all Saudis, Libyans and Egyptians, Algerians, Kuwaitis, Yemenis, Moroccans crossed Syria to get to Iraq. Syria is a police state. It is inconceivable that his government is not aware of crossing the large numbers of foreign nationals and some of them coming via the Damascus International Airport and others across the border from Jordan and Turkey. Nor can the Syrian government just throw blame angry and spontaneous on the U.S. occupation of Iraq: Many of the foreign fighters who have passed the Syria and more than five Syrians represented in the Sinjar records have contributed cash to al-Qaida in Iraq and often advances of more than $ 1,000, and in some cases more than $ 10,000. Therefore, since it was a jihadi angry and wants to take up arms across the border, it's one thing to get the necessary information to donate to Al-Qaeda and actually transfer the money, it requires further guidance.

Aftrq hidden transit that crosses through Syria are profitable not only to al-Qaeda, but also to many of the Syrians.Human smuggling across the Syrian border with Iraq is a complex issue and profitable. Smugglers bribing border guards and by the size of the process to understand bribing officials in Damascus. Introduction of individuals across borders requires forged documents and obtained depends on the corruption in the government offices of Syria. In order to smuggle sensitive cargo across the border checkpoints, this requires knowledge of the smugglers on the intelligence information about the rotation schedule for the staff at the border. This in turn indicates the complicity of the highest levels of the Syrian regime. In fact, many of the Syrian intelligence officials were receiving money to turn their eyes to these things. While the Syrian government's request Balmkavih to prevent the infiltration of terrorists after the U.S. siege of the city of Fallujah in the summer of 2004, the jihadists and assistants in the creation of a complex network of safe houses on the Syrian side of the border to enable the continuation of the flow of fighters into Iraq. After the seizure of the city of Fallujah, U.S. troops found photographs of the leader of the army commander Mohammed rebel group in a meeting with a senior Syrian official. While officials declined to name the Syrian official, the Iraqi ambassador in Syria of protest to the Syrian government in this matter.

Sinjar documents describe a network of Syrian coordinators who facilitate travel through Syria, for an amount between $ 19 and U.S. $ 34 584 for their services, and the difference seems to depend on the nationality of the jihadists and the demands of the Syrian coordinator. The Saudis paid a rate of about $ 2,500. However, the different pricing plans offered by different coordinators suggest parallel process to multiple networks instead of one network coordination. While assisting tribal ties across the border infiltration as well as it seems the security forces who were expelled from Lebanon. The latter Zadeh of smuggling networks to Iraq in order to compensate for the lost income when Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon. Because the Syrian security forces are the prerogative of the 'Alawites "Vetort security forces in smuggling operations in taxes smuggling suggests complicity directly to the system. Already on 6 December 2007, the U.S. Treasury Department to bring charges to seven people residing in Syria as suppliers of financial support for the insurgency in Iraq. six of whom were members of the Syrian Baath Party.

Suggests Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979 that religious rule may be the wave of the future and not the past perfect.Three years later, the Hafez al-Assad in "Hama Rules" (as writer Thomas Friedman Park bloody campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood) was a wakeup call for the Islamists. The dropping of secularism, national governments have stepped up to the top of its agenda, but the task will not be easy nor inevitable.

After you install Hafez al-Assad reiterated his authority, the Syrian government began quietly in the use of religion to win over those who may be attracted to the Muslim Brotherhood and their message. So the Syrian regime Btumil mosques and support the clergy and the religious programs broadcast on TV more, which is subject to official censorship tight. As embraced Saddam Hussein in Western capitals because of strong secular and hostility to political Islam, found Saddam religion after the defeat of "Operation Desert Storm" in 1991, therefore, also the Assad regime shift toward religion cynically such as Saddam Hussein's regime, it seeks to maintain an image of hostility radical Islam.

Michael Rubin is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a lecturer at the Graduate School of the U.S. Navy.

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