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ISIS becoming threat in Arab world

Kashmir Times. Dated: 9/24/2014 4:14:58 PM

Dear Editor,
ISIS is becoming a major threat in the Arab world. But let us not forget some glaring facts that will make America culpable. ISIS operated in the Syrian theater since August 2011 and its sabotage activities against the Assad regime were fully supported by the US’ allies in the region: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Jordan. The US blacklisted al Nusra Front (ISIS after April 2013) only in December 2012. Thus, for one and a half year, from August 2011 to December 2012, the US government tolerated and indirectly supported ISIS in Syria where it ‘liberated’ one-third of Syrian territory in the north and east from the clutches of the US’ arch-rival: the Assad regime. Everything which al Nusra did in Syria until April 2013 – it won many battles and conquered huge chunks of territory from the Regime all over Syria – was actually the doing of ISIS with the endorsement and support of the US’ allies in the region: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan. The US declared ISIS and the al Nusra Front as terrorist organizations in December 2012 only for the sake of ‘plausible deniability.’ The US also pressurized its allies in the Syrian war: Saudi Arabia and Turkey to nominally declare both these organizations as terrorist organizations and they obliged. Turkey put both these two ‘names’ on its terror-list in September 2013 while Saudi Arabia followed suit in early 2014. These so-called ‘terror designations’ helped the Establishment-allied corporate media in constructing a narrative whereby the Gulf states are absolved from their responsibility for financing these organizations.
—Ishfaq Tramboo,
Banihal