• Syria crisis: Saudi Arabia to spend millions to train new rebel force
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/07/syria-crisis-saudi-arabia-spend-millions-new-rebel-force

    The force excludes al-Qaida affiliates such as the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra, but embraces more non-jihadi Islamist and Salafi units.

    (...)

    “There are two wars in Syria,” said Mustafa Alani, an analyst for the Saudi-backed Gulf Research Centre. “One against the Syrian regime and one against al-Qaida. Saudi Arabia is fighting both.”

    • Nos nouveaux meilleurs amis en Syrie :

      Saudi Arabia is preparing to spend millions of dollars to arm and train thousands of Syrian fighters in a new national rebel force to help defeat Bashar al-Assad and act as a counterweight to increasingly powerful jihadi organisations.

      Syrian, Arab and western sources say the intensifying Saudi effort is focused on Jaysh al-Islam (the Army of Islam or JAI), created in late September by a union of 43 Syrian groups. It is being billed as a significant new player on the fragmented rebel scene.

      […]

      The JAI is led by Zahran Alloush, a Salafi and formerly head of Liwa al-Islam, one of the most effective rebel fighting forces in the Damascus area. Alloush recently held talks with Bandar along with Saudi businessmen who are financing individual rebel brigades under the JAI’s banner. Other discreet coordinating meetings in Turkey have involved the Qatari foreign minister, Khaled al-Attiyeh, and the US envoy to Syria, Robert Ford.

      In one indication of its growing confidence – and resources – the JAI this week advertised online for experienced media professionals to promote its cause.

      Oui, si tu maîtrises la Creative Suite® d’Adobe™, tu peux postuler auprès de « jobs@islam-army.com » :

      L’effort médiatique est visible : le champ lexical livré aux médias internationaux est très visible : il s’agirait, de la part de l’Arabie séoudite et des bailleurs privés, de « lutter contre l’extrémisme ».

      Saudi Arabia’s Shadow War - David Kenner
      http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/11/06/saudi_arabias_shadow_war

      Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, along with the CIA, also supported the Afghan rebels against the Soviet-backed government during the 1980s. That collaboration contains a cautionary note for the current day: The fractured Afghan rebels were unable to govern after the old regime fell, paving the way for chaos and the rise of the Taliban. Some of the insurgents, meanwhile, transformed into al Qaeda and eventually turned their weapons against their former patrons.

      While the risk of blowback has been discussed in Riyadh, Saudis with knowledge of the training program describe it as an antidote to extremism, not a potential cause of it. They have described the kingdom’s effort as having two goals — toppling the Assad regime, and weakening al Qaeda-linked groups in the country. Prince Turki, the former Saudi intelligence chief and envoy to Washington, said in a recent interview that the mainstream opposition must be strengthened so that it could protect itself “these extremists who are coming from all over the place” to impose their own ideologies on Syria.

    • Syria: Ahrar Al-Sham leader threatens to form Islamist rebel command
      http://www.aawsat.net/2013/11/article55321549

      The Islamist factions are led by four rebel commanders in charge of operations in Damascus, Aleppo, Idlib, and Raqqa. They are: Zahran Alloush, commander of Islam Brigade in Rif Dimashq, Haj Mara’a (Abdelkader Saleh), commander of Al-Tawhid Brigade, Isa Al-Sheikh, commander of Suqour Al-Sham, and Abu Talha, commander of Ahrar Al-Sham.

      Asharq Al-Awsat spoke with Abu Talha, commander of Ahar Al-Sham, the largest armed Islamist faction in Syria. It includes military, rescue, and engineering units and is responsible for delivering the salaries of workers in the town of Raqqa, according to its leaders.

      Speaking exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat, Abu Talha said: “The FSA leadership was established under circumstances which were neither natural, nor healthy, resulting in a body which does not meet our aspirations.”

      Although differences have always existed between the Islamist factions and the FSA leadership, the Islamist factions have lately announced their intention to completely withdraw from both the FSA and the Syrian National Coalition.