Changes

Turkey’s moderate Islamist government has been demanding Assad’s departure with growing vehemence. Turkish authorities are said by current and former U.S. government officials to be increasingly involved in providing Syrian rebels with training and possibly equipment.<br>

Turkey’s moderate Islamist government has been demanding Assad’s departure with growing vehemence. Turkish authorities are said by current and former U.S. government officials to be increasingly involved in providing Syrian rebels with training and possibly equipment.<br>

European government sources said wealthy families in Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing significant financing to the rebels. Senior officials of the Saudi and Qatari governments have publicly called for Assad’s departure. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170216061621/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/obama-secret-syria-order_n_1730712.html?tw_p=twt]}}</ref>  The [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] under [[Gen. Michael T. Flynn]] warned 12 days later that [[Western]] powers and their [[Salfi]] allies wanted to create an Islamic State.<ref>Defense Intelligence Agency document circulated widely among government agencies, including [[CENTCOM]], the CIA, FBI, [[DHS]], NGA (National Geospacial Agency), State Dept., and many others. The document states the West (NATO powers), members of the Gulf Cooperation Council ([[Bahrain]], [[Kuwait]], [[Oman]], Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the [[United Arab Emirates]]), and [[Turkey]] want an [[Islamic State]] ("Salafist principality in Eastern Syria") to oppose the regime of [[Bashar al-Assad]].

European government sources said wealthy families in Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing significant financing to the rebels. Senior officials of the Saudi and Qatari governments have publicly called for Assad’s departure. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170216061621/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/obama-secret-syria-order_n_1730712.html?tw_p=twt]}}</ref>  The [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] under [[Gen. Michael T. Flynn]] warned 12 days later that [[Western]] powers and their [[Salafi]] allies wanted to create an Islamic State.<ref>Defense Intelligence Agency document circulated widely among government agencies, including [[CENTCOM]], the CIA, FBI, [[DHS]], NGA (National Geospacial Agency), State Dept., and many others. The document states the West (NATO powers), members of the Gulf Cooperation Council ([[Bahrain]], [[Kuwait]], [[Oman]], Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the [[United Arab Emirates]]), and [[Turkey]] want an [[Islamic State]] ("Salafist principality in Eastern Syria") to oppose the regime of [[Bashar al-Assad]].

{{Quotebox|AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq] SUPPORTED THE SYRIAN OPPOSITION FROM THE BEGINNING, BOTH IDEOLOGICALLY AND THROUGH THE MEDIA…

{{Quotebox|AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq] SUPPORTED THE SYRIAN OPPOSITION FROM THE BEGINNING, BOTH IDEOLOGICALLY AND THROUGH THE MEDIA…

...THE WEST, GULF COUNTRIES, AND TURKEY SUPPORT THE [SYRIAN] OPPOSITION… THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A '''DECLARED OR UNDECLARED [[Salafi|SALAFIST]] PRINCIPALITY IN EASTERN SYRIA''' (HASAKA AND DER ZOR), AND THIS IS '''EXACTLY WHAT THE SUPPORTING POWERS TO THE OPPOSITION WANT''', IN ORDER TO ISOLATE THE SYRIAN REGIME…

...THE WEST, GULF COUNTRIES, AND TURKEY SUPPORT THE [SYRIAN] OPPOSITION… THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A '''DECLARED OR UNDECLARED [[Salafi|SALAFIST]] PRINCIPALITY IN EASTERN SYRIA''' (HASAKA AND DER ZOR), AND THIS IS '''EXACTLY WHAT THE SUPPORTING POWERS TO THE OPPOSITION WANT''', IN ORDER TO ISOLATE THE SYRIAN REGIME…

…ISI COULD ALSO '''DECLARE AN ISLAMIC STATE THROUGH ITS UNION WITH OTHER TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA'''...}}</ref>Documents obtained by a FOIA request of [[Judicial Watch]] show as early as 2012, U.S. intelligence predicted the rise of the Islamic State and the report envisions the terror group as a U.S. strategic asset in the fight against Bashar al-Assad.<ref>[http://patdollard.com/2015/05/exposed-2012-defense-dept-documents-reveal-obama-regime-sought-to-create-an-islamic-state/ EXPOSED: 2012 Defense Dept. Documents Reveal Obama Regime Sought To Create An “Islamic State” In Syria And Iraq, PatDollard.com, May 22, 2015]</ref>  Flynn was later fired for his opposition to Obama and Hillary Clinton's policy to arm Islamic State militants.

…ISI COULD ALSO '''DECLARE AN ISLAMIC STATE THROUGH ITS UNION WITH OTHER TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA'''...}}</ref></ref>Documents obtained by a FOIA request of [[Judicial Watch]] show as early as 2012, U.S. intelligence predicted the rise of the Islamic State and the report envisions the terror group as a U.S. strategic asset in the fight against Bashar al-Assad.[http://patdollard.com/2015/05/exposed-2012-defense-dept-documents-reveal-obama-regime-sought-to-create-an-islamic-state/ EXPOSED: 2012 Defense Dept. Documents Reveal Obama Regime Sought To Create An “Islamic State” In Syria And Iraq, PatDollard.com, May 22, 2015]</ref>  Flynn was later fired for his opposition to Obama and Hillary Clinton's policy to arm Islamic State militants.

Vice president [[Joe Biden]] admitted in 2014 that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Turkey had funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to Islamist rebels in Syria. Biden was forced to retract that statement.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/unitedarabemirates/11142683/Joe-Biden-forced-to-apologise-to-UAE-and-Turkey-over-Syria-remarks.html Joe Biden forced to apologise to UAE and Turkey over Syria remarks, ''The Telegraph'', October 6, 2014]</ref>  The U.S. did precisely the same thing in terms of supplying and facilitating the Syrian opposition. Obama had requested $500 million to train fighters opposed to ISIS. In August, the Pentagon announced it would defend those forces from attacks by the Syrian government.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/pentagon-to-defend-new-syria-force-from-assad-regime-others-1438549937  U.S. to Defend New Syria Force From Assad Regime, WSJ, August 2, 2015]</ref>

Vice president [[Joe Biden]] admitted in 2014 that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Turkey had funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to Islamist rebels in Syria. Biden was forced to retract that statement.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/unitedarabemirates/11142683/Joe-Biden-forced-to-apologise-to-UAE-and-Turkey-over-Syria-remarks.html Joe Biden forced to apologise to UAE and Turkey over Syria remarks, ''The Telegraph'', October 6, 2014]</ref>  The U.S. did precisely the same thing in terms of supplying and facilitating the Syrian opposition. Obama had requested $500 million to train fighters opposed to ISIS. In August, the Pentagon announced it would defend those forces from attacks by the Syrian government.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/pentagon-to-defend-new-syria-force-from-assad-regime-others-1438549937  U.S. to Defend New Syria Force From Assad Regime, WSJ, August 2, 2015]</ref>