Syria, AlQaieda, and Chemical Weapons

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by tulianr, Oct 1, 2012.


  1. tulianr

    tulianr Don Quixote de la Monkey

    Two headlines that, taken together, should be enough to cause concern in many quarters.


    Panetta: 'There Is an Al Qaeda Presence in Syria

    http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/panetta-there-al-qaeda-presence-syria_644450.html

    Excerpts:
    Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta confirmed on Friday that al Qaeda has a "presence in Syria."
    ..........
    "....... we do have intelligence that indicates that there is an al Qaeda presence in Syria. But frankly, we don't have very good intelligence as to just exactly what their activities are. ...."

    US Intel Lost Track of Syrian Chemical Weapons

    http://www.military.com/daily-news/...ck-of-syrian-chemical-weapons.html?ESRC=eb.nl

    Excerpts:
    Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Syria has moved small amounts of its chemical weapons from secure sites and U.S. intelligence is unsure where those weapons ended up.

    "We just don't know" the status of the stores of sarin nerve agent, mustard gas and cyanide in the Syrian stockpile that have been moved recently, Panetta said Friday at a Pentagon briefing with Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay.
    ........
    "I don't have any specific information about the opposition and whether or not they've obtained some of this or how much they've obtained and just exactly what's taken place."
    When asked whether the Syrian rebels or factions from Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which has supported Assad, may have obtained any of the chemical weapons, Panetta said he had no "firm information to confirm that that's taken place."

    Israel has warned that it might attack if Syria lost control of its chemical weapons stocks, believed to be the largest in the Middle East. President Obama has declared that the threat of chemical or biological warfare in Syria would be a "red line" for the U.S. that might bring military action.
    .........
     
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