New problems for Syria strike push as video reportedly
shows rebel-led executions
Published September 05, 2013
FoxNews.com
The momentum for a U.S. strike in
Syria faces a fresh challenge on Capitol Hill as new evidence surfaces that
could complicate the Obama administration’s case.
A new video smuggled out of Syria
purportedly showing rebel fighters executing seven unarmed government soldiers
is raising questions over whether the U.S. should intervene militarily in the
ongoing Syrian conflict and the unintended consequences of instability in the
region.
The amateur footage, obtained by The New York Times, shows Syrian rebels holding
firearms and standing over seven shirtless, kneeling male prisoners with their
hands tied behind their backs and their heads pressed to the ground. On the
video a man, called “Uncle,” and presumed to be a rebel commander, starts to
recite a poem.
“For fifty years, they are
companions to corruption,” the man said, according to a translation by the
Times. “We swear to the Lord of the Throne, that this is our oath: We will take
revenge.”
When the poem ends, the commander
fires a bullet into the back of the first prisoner’s head. One by one the sound
of the guns going off can be heard and in the end, all of the kneeling men have
been shot dead.
The clip displays the brutality and
blurred lines of the growing civil war. It also highlights the growing
challenge the White House has in persuading Congress to authorize military
action and some of the consequences of American intervention.
Some lawmakers have already warned
that the Obama administration, should it launch missile strikes on the Assad
regime, would be aiding opposition groups that are not much better.
Liberal Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla.,
on Thursday said the White House is “not telling all sides.” Sen. Ted Cruz,
R-Texas, had alleged that the U.S. would effectively be “Al Qaeda’s air force”
– though he’s been scolded by his colleagues for the remark.
One-time supporters of limited U.S.
involvement like Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia backed off
Thursday on moving forward with military action, though he did not cite the
video.
“Given the case that has been
presented to me, I believe that a military strike against Syria at this time is
the wrong course of action,” Manchin said in press statement. “I cannot support
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s resolution and will be working with my
colleague and the administration to develop other options.”
In an Aug. 30 op-ed piece for The
Wall Street Journal, Elizabeth O’Bagy, an expert at the Institute for the Study
of War, championed American involvement and argued that “contrary to many media
accounts, the war in Syria is not being waged entirely, or even predominantly,
by dangerous Islamists and al-Qaida die-hards.”
On Wednesday, Secretary of State
John Kerry encouraged members of the House of Representatives to read O’Bagy’s
WSJ piece and cited her as an expert. O’Bagy has also appeared on several Fox
News shows.
However, on Thursday her credibility
came under fire after it was revealed that she was also the humanitarian aid
coordinator for a Syrian opposition lobbying group – the Syrian Emergency Task
Force- with links to the Free Syria Army.
Other staunch supporters of military
action like Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who have been vocal from the start about
a strike are now taking their arguments to their constituents.
McCain is scheduled to hold a town
hall meeting in Arizona Friday to discuss military action before he makes any
more public declarations of support or opposition.
In the two-and-a-half years since
Syria’s civil war began, much of the political and geographical landscape has
turned into a layered landmine of criminal activity. In the absence of western
aid, rebel soldiers have had to rely on support from some extremist groups
linked to Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. The concern is that
American military action could inadvertently strengthen criminals and
extremists who have spoken out against the United States, its people and
policies.
P.J. Crowley, a former State
Department spokesman, warned that one of the biggest unintended consequences of
involvement in Syria could be a destabilizing countries surrounding Syria.
Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., told Fox
News Thursday that he had reservations about American intervention in Syria.
“We’ve seen a lot of intelligence
and a lot of push and I think it’s going to be a real tough fight,” he said.
For McKeon, the bigger problem is
funding an American-led operation.
“T
No comments:
Post a Comment