Kucinich: U.S. turns into 'al Qaeda's air force'

“The verdict is in before the facts have been gathered. What does that tell you?”

Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)

Airstrikes on Syria would turn the U.S. military into “al Qaeda's air force,” former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) told The Hill.

The outspoken anti-war activist said any such action would plunge the United States into another war in the Middle East and embolden Islamist militants fighting Bashar Assad's regime.

“So what, we're about to become Al Qaeda's air force now?” Kucinich said. “This is a very, very serious matter that has broad implications internationally. And to try to minimize it by saying we're just going to have a 'targeted strike' — that's an act of war. It's not anything to be trifled with,” reports The Hill.

Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich

The comments echo warnings from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who voted against legislation to arm the Syrian rebels earlier this year by saying such a move would boost al Qaeda.

Kucinich also said President Obama would be violating the Constitution if he doesn't get congressional approval before taking any military action in Syria.

Kucinich retired last year after 16 years in the House when his Cleveland district was redrawn and he lost his primary. He led the fight against President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq and joined nine other lawmakers in suing Obama over his intervention in Libya two years ago.

Kucinich raised doubts about rebel forces' allegations that Assad's forces used poison gas to kill more than 1,300 people last week. He said the administration is “rushing” to what could becoming “World War Three” based on questionable evidence.

“This is being used as a pretext,” he said. “The verdict is in before the facts have been gathered. What does that tell you?”

“Before engaging in a military strike against Assad’s forces, the United States must understand that this action will likely draw us into a much wider and much longer-term conflict that could mean an even greater loss of life within Syria,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said in a statement Tuesday. “I urge the Administration to continue to exercise restraint, because absent an imminent threat to America’s national security, the U.S. should not take military action without Congressional authorization.”

Twenty-one Republican lawmakers, joined by one Democrat, so far have signed onto a House letter to Obama demanding that Congress sign off on any military response.

“Engaging our military in Syria when no direct threat to the United States exists and without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the Constitution,” says the letter, spearheaded by Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.).


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Syrian town lives under Al-Qaeda rules

MAYADIN, Syria: In a small town in Syria’s east, Islamist militants have taken unclothed mannequins they see as sexually enticing out of the shops.
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Members of the Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate, have also prevented women from wearing trousers, preferring that they adopt the shapeless head-to-toe black veil.
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The town of 54,000 on the Euphrates river offers a snapshot of what life could be like if Islamist rebels take control of significant areas of Syria as President Bashar Assad loses further ground.
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The Nusra Front is considered the most effective. Its fighters, who seek out death in battle as a form of martyrdom, have achieved victories in attacks on several military bases across the country.

Insurgents with long beards patrol the streets enforcing a strict interpretation of Islam. Alcohol is removed from shops. Daily religious teaching is provided for Mayadin’s children, who get free loaves of bread if they attend.

One young boy who attends these classes said that pupils are taught about praying, the role of women, the place of polygamy in marriage and jihad against “Assad’s Alawite regime.”

Fighters from the Nusra Front present a threat to those who want democracy in Syria. Instead, they envision a caliphate and a return to the lifestyle of the seventh century. Shops are forcibly closed at prayer times and people are rounded up in the streets five times daily to go to mosques.

Hussein, a 28-year-old fighter from the Osama Ibn Ziad brigade of the FSA, sees a strategic benefit from the Nusra Front, whose fighters are well armed and include foreign fighters who can advise on guerrilla warfare.

“The guys from Nusra are good people. We have to fight this regime and they are very well organized with strong fighters,” he said.


Read more: Daily Star.

Christians under attack in Syria

Jordan Islamists reject military action against Syria
Jordan's opposition Islamists on Wednesday rejected a possible Western military action against the Syrian regime, warning of "dangerous repercussions" for the region.
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"We reject any kind of military intervention in Syria, regardless of its motives and justifications," said the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, urging the international community to turn to negotiations.
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"Such military action seeks to weaken Syria and tear it apart, serve Zionist-American goals," the IAF charged in a statement.
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The Front, the kingdom's main opposition party, warned against "dangerous repercussions for the entire region, mainly Syria and Palestine."
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The Islamists said Jordan, a key US ally in the region, "should adhere to demanding a political solution to the Syrian crisis."
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"Jordan should not be part of a military intervention. Its territories should not be used for such an action. Its role should focus on aiding the Syrian refugees until they go home."
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Information Minister Mohammad Momani, meanwhile, reiterated that Jordan would not be used as "a launchpad" for military intervention in Syria.
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"Jordan renews its calls for a political solution in Syria and urges the international community to intensify efforts to reach such a solution," Momani told AFP.
(Global Post.com/)