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Qaeda Militants Seek Syria Base, U.S. Officials Say
(New York Times) Eric Schmitt - Dozens of seasoned militant fighters, including some midlevel planners, have traveled to Syria from Pakistan in recent months in what American intelligence and counterterrorism officials fear is an effort to lay the foundation for future strikes against Europe and the U.S. "We are concerned about the use of Syrian territory by the al-Qaeda organization to recruit individuals and develop the capability to be able not just to carry out attacks inside of Syria, but also to use Syria as a launching pad," John O. Brennan, the C.I.A. director, told a House panel. Syria is an appealing base for these operatives because it offers them the relative sanctuary of extremist-held havens - away from drone strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan - as well as ready access to about 1,200 American and European Muslims who have gone there to fight and could be potential recruits to carry out attacks when they return home. New classified intelligence assessments conclude that al-Qaeda's senior leadership in Pakistan, including Ayman al-Zawahri, is developing a long-term plan to recruit and train these Westerners. The new assessment raises the possibility that Syria could become the next Afghanistan.