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 [[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]].

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. }}</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…