Matthew Olsen, director of the U.S. government's NationalCounterterrorismCenter, was on record to say that "Syria has become really the predominant jihadist battlefield in the world."
Also on record was Jeh C. Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security, who stated that the Syria war "has become a matter of homeland security," former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell who identified Syria as "the greatest threat to U.S. national security," FBI Director until last September Robert Mueller who "warned that an increasing flow of U.S. citizens heading to Syria and elsewhere to wage jihad against regional powers could end up in a new generation of home-grown terrorists."
All these and other high level U.S. conclusions do not testify to the existence of "moderate" insurgents in Syria and vindicate the official Syrian narration as much as they refute Kerry's statement about the "democratic," "secular" and "moderate" Syrian "opposition."
"Moderate" rebels are either marginal or a rare species in Syrian insurgency and if they do exist they are already increasingly concluding "reconciliation" agreements with the Syrian government, according to which they disarm, join the government anti terror and anti "strangers" military and security campaign or simply recurring to attending to their personal lives.
The Americans and their Saudi and Turkish bullies are left with the only option of artificially creating artificial "moderates," whom they unrealistically and wishfully dream of turning into a credible leading force on the ground.
As part of his efforts to mend fences with Saudi Arabia, a persistent advocate of war and militarization in Syria, U.S. President Barak Obama seems to have pursued recently a two-pronged diplomatic and military policy.
Diplomatically, he closed the Syrian embassy and consulates in the United States and restricted the movement of the Syrian envoy to the United Nations as a "down payment" ahead of his visit to the kingdom on last March 28.
Militarily, he promised more arms to Syrian "moderate" rebels during his visit. After the visit he was reportedly considering arming those "moderate" rebels with more advanced weaponry, including anti-aircraft missiles or MANPADs.
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