The Centre on Religion and Geopolitics, a leading thinktank claims that bore than half of the rebel fighters in Syria who are opposing President Bashar al-Assad are sympathetic to Islamic State views.
The global threat from jihadi groups would not be eliminated with the efforts to wipe out Isis in Syria and Iraq since extremist views were common among Syrian fighters of all stripes, says that Center on Religion and Geopolitics.
Any vacuum tat may result from a defeat of Isis in Syria and Iraq by a coalition led by the US would be filled by more than 65,000 fighters from at least 15 militias, says a report by the group.
It added that the religious and political ideology of the terror group Isis is similar to what about 60% of fighters in rebel factions in Syria identify themselves with.
“The west risks making a strategic failure by focusing only on IS. Defeating it militarily will not end global jihadism. We cannot bomb an ideology, but our war is ideological,” said the thinktank, run by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, said:
The United Nations has recently agreed to a resolution that endorsed starting “urgent” formal negotiations between Assad’s regime and moderate opposition groups early next month. The thinktank report comes close on the heels of that resolution.
However that can be an advantage for the other radical groups like the al-Qaida affiliate al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, warns the Centre.
“If Isis is defeated, there are at least 65,000 fighters belonging to other Salafi-jihadi groups ready to take its place. The greatest danger to the international community are the groups that share the ideology of Isis, but are being ignored in the battle to defeat the group,” the report added.
While accepting that there was necessity of military action, the report states that an intellectual and theological defeat of the pernicious ideology was necessary for the policy makers need to strategize that would end the threat of Salafi-jihadism.
Meanwhile less than a day after Moscow signed off on an ambitious UN plan to end the war, Vadimir Putiin has warned that Russia is ready to scale up its military intervention in Syria.
Marking the first time that America and Russia have reached broad consensus on Syria’s future after years of conflict that has cost more than 250,000 lives and made millions more into refugees, the peace roadmap lays out a two-year path to elections for a new government, starting with a January ceasefire.
The future of President Bashar al-Assad ad several other key issues have allegedly been sidestepped in the agreement as the pact is so broad. It was also drawn up without consulting Assad or the opposition groups fighting him on the ground.
Any attempts to broker long-term peace would hinge around the question of whether, when and how the Syrian leader might step down. While Russia has doubled down on support for him, sending bombers, weapons and cash to support his troops, the US says he must go.
(Source:www.theguardian.com)
The global threat from jihadi groups would not be eliminated with the efforts to wipe out Isis in Syria and Iraq since extremist views were common among Syrian fighters of all stripes, says that Center on Religion and Geopolitics.
Any vacuum tat may result from a defeat of Isis in Syria and Iraq by a coalition led by the US would be filled by more than 65,000 fighters from at least 15 militias, says a report by the group.
It added that the religious and political ideology of the terror group Isis is similar to what about 60% of fighters in rebel factions in Syria identify themselves with.
“The west risks making a strategic failure by focusing only on IS. Defeating it militarily will not end global jihadism. We cannot bomb an ideology, but our war is ideological,” said the thinktank, run by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, said:
The United Nations has recently agreed to a resolution that endorsed starting “urgent” formal negotiations between Assad’s regime and moderate opposition groups early next month. The thinktank report comes close on the heels of that resolution.
However that can be an advantage for the other radical groups like the al-Qaida affiliate al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, warns the Centre.
“If Isis is defeated, there are at least 65,000 fighters belonging to other Salafi-jihadi groups ready to take its place. The greatest danger to the international community are the groups that share the ideology of Isis, but are being ignored in the battle to defeat the group,” the report added.
While accepting that there was necessity of military action, the report states that an intellectual and theological defeat of the pernicious ideology was necessary for the policy makers need to strategize that would end the threat of Salafi-jihadism.
Meanwhile less than a day after Moscow signed off on an ambitious UN plan to end the war, Vadimir Putiin has warned that Russia is ready to scale up its military intervention in Syria.
Marking the first time that America and Russia have reached broad consensus on Syria’s future after years of conflict that has cost more than 250,000 lives and made millions more into refugees, the peace roadmap lays out a two-year path to elections for a new government, starting with a January ceasefire.
The future of President Bashar al-Assad ad several other key issues have allegedly been sidestepped in the agreement as the pact is so broad. It was also drawn up without consulting Assad or the opposition groups fighting him on the ground.
Any attempts to broker long-term peace would hinge around the question of whether, when and how the Syrian leader might step down. While Russia has doubled down on support for him, sending bombers, weapons and cash to support his troops, the US says he must go.
(Source:www.theguardian.com)
