...should the suspicions be confirmed that the Syrian uprising has been
infiltrated by unknown, uncontrollable extremists, the willingness of the
world to help would surely dramatically decrease. The volunteers from other
countries could therefore unwittingly deal a death blow to the Syrian
revolution.

Islamists against Assad
Foreign Extremists a Danger to Syria's Revolution
By Ulrike Putz in Beirut Spiegel Online 02/15/2012
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,815415,00.html

Al-Qaida's leader is calling on Muslims to join in Syria's revolution and to
fight the Assad regime. But jihadists from neighboring countries may already
have joined the ranks of the opposition Free Syrian Army. Their presence
could be the death blow to the revolution.

The message was clear: Every Muslim must aid the uprising against the Syrian
government "with everything that he has -- his life, money, views and
information." The current leader of the terror network al-Qaida, Ayman
al-Zawahiri, called on believers to bear arms and go to Syria in an
eight-minute video that was posted over the weekend on extremist websites.
Rebellion against the "anti-Islamic regime" in Damascus is a religious
obligation, he declared.

For their campaign against Bashar Assad's "pernicious, cancerous regime,"
the brothers in God should build on their willingness to make sacrifices and
on their steadfastness. The al-Qaida leader especially called on Sunni
Muslims in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq to rush to the aid of the
opposition in their neighboring country.

The fiery call to action from Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden at the
top of al-Qaida, has fueled the ongoing speculation over the presence of
foreign, or even al-Qaida fighters in Syria. The regime in Damascus has long
maintained that the 11-month-old uprising in the country was being waged by
"foreigners," "terrorists" and "armed bands." The Syrian National Council,
an opposition coalition, and the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the umbrella
organization of the armed resistance, spurn that notion, and argue that the
rebellion in Syria is a popular uprising of Syrian citizens who are fighting
for their freedom and for democracy.

'Hundreds of Foreign Fighters'

But, despite the protestations from the Syrian opposition, rumors are
growing over the deployment of foreign jihadists in Syria. One source in
Beirut, who was outside of Homs in recent weeks with the opposition FSA,
reported seeing "hundreds of foreign fighters," who have attached themselves
to the FSA, which is made up largely of deserters from the Syrian military.
The Sunni volunteers came primarily from Iraq and Lebanon, with a few from
Saudi Arabia, the source said.

Some observers viewed the two bombings in the Syrian city of Aleppo last
Friday as proof that extremist terrorist groups are operating in the
country. Twenty-eight people were killed in the attacks on the Military
Intelligence building and on a police headquarters building. In American
news reports over the weekend, US officials speculated that al-Qaida was
behind the attacks.

The news website McClatchy referred to several officials in the US
government who consider al-Qaida in Iraq responsible for the car bombs. And
two suicide bombings, which on Dec. 23 and Jan. 6, killed up to 70 people,
are also thought to have been organized by the Iraqi al-Qaida cell.

Al-Qaida's PR Problem

Experts believe that it may very well be in al-Qaida's interest to involve
itself in the conflict in Syria. "Al-Qaida has a PR problem," says Wolfgang
Mühlberger, of the National Defense Academy in Vienna. "It could be good for
them if they tried, through an engagement in Syria, to make themselves
attractive again to certain target groups." But one has to be careful, he
says, because not every jihadist is part of al-Qaida. "In the case of
Aleppo, there was no claim of responsibility, and the organization usually
does that," he said.

Iraq's Deputy Interior Minister Adnan al-Assadi confirmed over the weekend
that weapons are being smuggled from Iraq into Syria. "The weapons are being
brought from Mosul through the Rabia crossing to Syria, because members of
the same families live on both sides of the border," he told the news agency
Agence France Presse (AFP).

The weapons smuggling has increased the price of Kalashnikovs in Iraq. The
AK-47 assault rifles once cost between $100 and $200, but now are sold from
between $1,000 and $1,500, Assadi told the AFP.

Should evidence mount in the coming weeks that foreign fighters are taking
part in the Syrian uprising, or are even monopolizing it, it would be
catastrophic for the true opposition in the country. They have pinned all of
their hopes on help from outside, on diplomatic pressure that the world
community can put on the regime, and on financial aid and maybe even weapons
transfers, with which Arab supporters might be able to help them.

But should the suspicions be confirmed that the Syrian uprising has been
infiltrated by unknown, uncontrollable extremists, the willingness of the
world to help would surely dramatically decrease. The volunteers from other
countries could therefore unwittingly deal a death blow to the Syrian
revolution.