The Rise Of 'Al-Qaeda In Iraq' In Syria

The flag of the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra flies over the main square of the city of Raqqa, east Syria in this May 1, 2013 file photo. REUTERS-Hamid Khatib-Files

Insight: Syria's Nusra Front Eclipsed By Iraq-Based al Qaeda -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The most feared and effective rebel group battling President Bashar al-Assad, the Islamist Nusra Front, is being eclipsed by a more radical jihadi force whose aims go far beyond overthrowing the Syrian leader.

Al Qaeda's Iraq-based wing, which nurtured Nusra in the early stages of the rebellion against Assad, has moved in and sidelined the organization, Nusra sources and other rebels say.

Al Qaeda in Iraq includes thousands of foreign fighters whose ultimate goal is not toppling Assad but the anti-Western jihad of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri - a shift which could extend Syria's conflict well beyond any political accord between Assad and his foes. The fighting has already cost 90,000 lives.

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My Comment: The Iraqi government must know that once the civil war is over in Syria .... these fighters are going to return back to Iraq. And while I suspect that the Iraqi government is hoping that these Jihadists end up being killed and/or driven out of Syria in defeat .... the reality of the situation on the ground in Syria is that these Jihadists are now not only controlling a good chunk of Syria, and are now positioning themselves to expand their sphere of influence. And once they are finished with Syria .... their eyes will then be focused on Iraq. For an Iraqi .... this is then the nightmare scenario .... the establishment of an Al Qaeda safe haven in Syria that is dedicated to the overthrow of the Shiite led government of Iraq.