Dear Senator Feinstein,
I read about your comments on “Face the Nation.” You are right. However, most policy makers have not been seeing what has been happening in front of them.
The weapons we are supplying to the “moderate rebels” in Syria end up in the hands of the same terrorists we are fighting. Now they have anti-tank TOW missiles, both thanks to our contribution to the “Free Syrian Army” that just transferred them to Al-Nusra and to Saudi Arabia. Here is video that shows this: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/11/23/southfront-us-saudis-fsa-tied-to-al-qaeda-in-syria/
“A recently released video shows an Al-Nusra field commander thanking the so-called moderate terrorist from the Free Syrian Army for giving his forces US-made anti-tank TOW missiles. According to the reports, Saudi Arabia sent 500 TOW missiles to Al-Nusra directly last month, but the US claims that it is just supplying aid and weapons to the FSA or the so-called moderate terrorists in Syria.”
The people we train join the terrorists, as most of the Free Syrian Army has joined Al-Nusra or Daesh. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/08/free-syrian-army-rebels-defect-islamist-group
We have also betrayed our Pentagon analysts by continuing with this flawed foreign policy. This can be seen in the statement made in the 2012 2012 Department of Intelligence Agency (DIA) report (.pdf) which openly admitted: ” If the situation unravels there is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in eastern Syria (Hasaka and Der Zor), and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered the strategic depth of the Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran).”
Why are we so focused on removing Assad? Saudi Arabia, our “ally” has a far more harsh regime as their elites have been sponsoring the Daesh members and boast the foundation for the Salafist teaching. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/23/opinion/isis-atrocities-started-with-saudi-support-for-salafi-hate.html The Muslim majority in the world are against this radical sect because it is counter to the teachings of Islam.
By now we should have sanctions on those Saudi elite that have been sponsoring Daesh.
While Assad is seen as a “harsh dictator,” Syria has a secular society and its people – the majority – support Assad while a small percentage do not, as was seen in the recent Syrian elections. He is now a wartime President taking out terrorists, so I doubt he will loose ground.
A key factor that entered into the game, is the Saudi-Qatari pipeline that was, according to one Turkish engineer I met, “set in stone.” Without Assad gone, these companies and individuals invested in the pipeline would have no pipeline.
The question we should ask ourselves, is a pipeline worth the deaths of so many and the expansion of Salafism, as well as potential terror incidents originating from its allied groups? Who is currently profiting from the commodity trading of Daesh oil? Who is profiting from the oil? What is funding this huge operation that includes media operations that rival most media networks? This is not setup with limited capital.
In order for us to defeat the terrorists, we need a straight line. We need to listen to our analysts, and do everything within our power to stop Daesh. We need to identify their financial backers and sanction them.
We should support Representatives. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat, and Austin Scott, a Republican, who introduced legislation to end the “illegal war” to overthrow Assad, This would enable us to take all of our Pentagon and other agency information to combat the real threat, which is Daesh.
Please move forward to support Gabbard and Scott in the Senate. By seeming week on terrorism through our implicit support, the perception of other countries about us is really making us look like either fools or pro-terrorism when it is convenient. A straight line against Daesh will change this perception.
Thank you for realizing that fact. Also I ask one small favor, the terrorists like the name Islamic State and ISIS, can you please call them Daesh in your public statements? There is no reason to embolden the enemy with our words.
Sincerely,
Ann Diener