Chechens Join Syrian Jihad

Two interesting quotes from a Reuters piece on the appearance of Chechen jihadists on the battlefield in Syria. The first is from Omar Abu Al-Chechen, who reminds us of what the real strategic goal remains,

“(We) have missed many chances, but truly today there is a chance to establish (an Islamic state) on Earth,” he said.

Plain as day and utterly unmistakable, Abu Al-Chechen tells us that the reason why the fighting in Syria captures the imagination of foreign fighters (and many Syrians as well, no doubt), is that it is the primary front for the strategic goal of implementing sharia on real territory.

The second interesting quote, comes from a Free Syrian Army commander who says:

“We call all brothers from all the countries, please, my brothers we do not need men. Stay in your own countries and do something good inside your own countries. If you want to help us just send us weapons or funding or even pray for us but you do not have to come to Syria,” said Brigadier Selim Idris, head of a rebel military command.

“(Those) who are entering the country have a negative impact on the revolution, because we need the help from (Western and regional) countries. Please understand this issue,” he said.

Don’t let the West get wise to the game, he urges. Fortunately there’s not much risk of that, considering how Reuters prefaces his remarks,

“The presence of foreign fighters in Syria, many of them espousing a more firebrand form of Islam, has troubled many Syrians who see the fight as a secular war to oust Assad.”

But that’s not actually what Idris said. Idris, who took over for FSA founder Riad Al-Asaad during a meeting where a series of Muslim Brotherhood and other-aligned Islamists moved into positions of power within the rebel military command, is actually expressing a mere tactical consideration. Still, some valuable quotations in this piece despite Reuters attempt to “spin” their own reporting.