Lieberman; al Qaeda’s travel agent

Today’s Wall Street Journal carries a commentary by Joe Lieberman entitiled Al Qaeda’s Travel Agent – it gives me hope that someone, anyone from the Senate recognizes Syria as a threat to the troops in Iraq – instead of someone to whom we can play nice;

Recently declassified American intelligence reveals just how much al Qaeda in Iraq is dependent for its survival on the support it receives from the broader, global al Qaeda network, and how most of that support flows into Iraq through one country — Syria. Al Qaeda in Iraq is sustained by a transnational network of facilitators and human smugglers, who replenish its supply of suicide bombers — approximately 60 to 80 Islamist extremists, recruited every month from across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, and sent to meet their al Qaeda handlers in Syria, from where they are taken to Iraq to blow themselves up to kill countless others.

Although small in number, these foreign fighters are a vital strategic asset to al Qaeda in Iraq, providing it with the essential human ammunition it needs to conduct high-visibility, mass-casualty suicide bombings, such as we saw last week in northern Iraq. In fact, the U.S. military estimates that between 80% and 90% of suicide attacks in Iraq are perpetrated by foreign fighters, making them the deadliest weapon in al Qaeda’s war arsenal. Without them, al Qaeda in Iraq would be critically, perhaps even fatally, weakened.

That is why we now must focus on disrupting this flow of suicide bombers — and that means focusing on Syria, through which up to 80% of the Iraq-bound extremists transit.

Even though this old news to anyone has read an article on the Syria-Iran connection, it’s just heartening to hear a politician, any politician involve Syria in a discussion of security in Iraq. Lieberman goes on to point out that, if Syria, particularly Assad was interested in securing the area, it wouldn’t be that hard – if he wanted to, that is;

Before al Qaeda’s foreign fighters can make their way across the Syrian border into Iraq, however, they must first reach Syria — and the overwhelming majority does so, according to U.S. intelligence estimates, by flying into Damascus International Airport, making the airport the central hub of al Qaeda travel in the Middle East, and the most vulnerable chokepoint in al Qaeda’s war against Iraq and the U.S. in Iraq.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad cannot seriously claim that he is incapable of exercising effective control over the main airport in his capital city. Syria is a police state, with sprawling domestic intelligence and security services. The notion that al Qaeda recruits are slipping into and through the Damascus airport unbeknownst to the local Mukhabarat is totally unbelievable.

I’ve always said that it’s ridiculous to expect that Syria couldn’t stop the influx of fighters into Iraq – which is essentially what Pelosi’s trip to make kissy-face Assad last Spring told the world. I wonder if she asked him to tighten airport security (since she has the same access to intelligence that Lieberman has) while she was passing along false peace messages.

But Lieberman admitting this in public is fairly unique, since no one else in the Senate is brave enough to even mention Syria – in any discussion. Lieberman doesn’t stop there, though. He goes on to outline a course of action for the Senate and the Administration;

When Congress reconvenes next month, we should set aside whatever differences divide us on Iraq and send a clear and unambiguous message to the Syrian regime, as we did last month to the Iranian regime, that the transit of al Qaeda suicide bombers through Syria on their way to Iraq is completely unacceptable, and it must stop.

We in the U.S. government should also begin developing a range of options to consider taking against Damascus International, unless the Syrian government takes appropriate action, and soon.

Imagine that! Barack Obama should take notes – Lieberman is actually threatening our enemies instead of threatening our allies. This could be the dawning of a whole new age.

Proving the Left still doesn’t get the whole idea of this war, The Carpetbagger Report claims that Lieberman wants to start a “third war” with Syria. Hey, fellas, it’s all the same war. Just like Nixon’s excursions into Cambodia wasn’t opening up a “new front” – it was all a part of fighting the North Vietnamese. This is all part of defeating tyranny and radical Islam in the Middle East.

And Think Progress’ commenters’ antisemitism is showing.

Category: Foreign Policy, Politics, Terror War