(Kansas City Star/McClatchy) Hannah Allam - Foreign Islamist extremists are streaming into Syria, apparently in response to the Shiite militant group Hizbullah's more visible backing of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a development that analysts say is likely to lead to a major power struggle between foreign jihadists and Syrian rebels should the regime collapse. While many foreign fighters have been absorbed into established Syrian rebel groups, there are signs now that an increasing number are remaining in free-standing units that operate independently and are willing to clash with other rebels and Syrian communities to implement their own rigid vision of Islamist governance.
2013-06-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive