Iraqi FM Warns of Jihadi 'Emirate' in Syria
Iraq's top diplomat warned Saturday that the "toxic" proliferation of
extremist groups among Syria's rebels raises the prospect of a
jihadist-ruled territory at the heart of the region.
The comments by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari reflect Iraq's
fears that the Syrian conflict is imperiling its fragile domestic
security, as well as growing international alarm about the risk posed by
waves of foreign fighters bolstering the ranks of armed groups fighting
to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Zebari told attendees at a security conference in small Gulf island
kingdom of Bahrain that the increase in radical fighters among the
Syrian rebels is leading toward the creation of an ungovernable "Islamic
emirate" that the world will have to deal with down the road.
"The most important danger coming out of the Syria conflict for Iraq ...
and for the region is the mushrooming of terrorist groups and fronts in
Syria," Zebari said.
"These are armies of recruits," he continued. "They're not all Syrians.
There are European nationals. Some of them have come as far as from
Australia, from Canada, and from many other countries. This is really
toxic."
The 11 western European countries with the biggest contingents in Syria
are estimated to have some 1,200-1,700 people among rebel forces,
according to government and analyst figures compiled by The Associated
Press. Many others are thought to come from Arab and other Muslim
countries.
The Iraqi arm of al-Qaida has muscled into the Syrian conflict too,
pushing into rebel-held parts of the north of the country. It earlier
this year renamed itself Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in an
effort to highlight its cross-border ambitions.
It has recruited significant numbers of foreign fighters and has
repeatedly clashed with more moderate groups within the Syrian
opposition.
The cross-border movement of fighters is believed to have contributed to
a months-long spike in bloodshed in Iraq, blamed largely on al-Qaida's
local franchise, with more than 8,000 people killed in car bombings and
other violent attacks since the start of the year.
Zebari warned that extremist groups could eventually consolidate areas under their control inside Syria.
"The day will come, God forbid, when they will have another Islamic
emirate" outside the effective control of the government. "Then we have
to deal with that threat later on. These are facts. We are not creating
stories."
Iraq is officially neutral in the Syrian civil war, and it has
repeatedly called for a negotiated political settlement to the conflict.
Its Shiite-led government has warm ties with Shiite powerhouse Iran,
the main regional back of Assad.
Zebari sought to make clear that this should not be interpreted as Iraqi support for the Syrian leader.
"The Iraqi government is no fan of Bashar Assad. I will not shed any tears if the Syrian people" remove him from power, he said.
In addition to the extremist Sunni Muslims that have crossed into Syria
to help the rebels, Iraqi Shiite militants have taken up arms on the
side of Assad's forces. Baghdad insists it has no official role in
deploying fighters across the border.
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Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at www.twitter.com/adamschreck
I think that the U.S. and Europe view this diferently than Iraq might. For example, the U.S. , North America and Europe might see Al Qaeda in Syria as a counterpoint and balance to the Jihadi Hezbollah in Lebanon. So, I think the world sees Lebanon as already a Hezbollah Emirate in some ways. So, an Al Qaeda Emirate in Syria not only helps bring down Assad it will help bring down the Hezbollah aspect of Lebanon as well. I think this might be the view throughout the western world and to some degree even into Russia as well. It is more about creating a balance to all the craziness so the two extremes cancel each other out possibly over time without Russia, the EU or the U.S. or even China having to send in major armies to create some sort of solution there so it doesn't become an even worse humanitarian disaster than it already is.
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