Al-Khatib Rejects Possible Anti-Terror Attacks In Syria

The Syrian opposition will not accept any military attack by Western countries inside Syria in the name of fighting terrorism, the head of the main anti-regime coalition said in İstanbul on Thursday.



Moaz al-Khatib, the leader of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, said there have been threats of military intervention in Syria on the grounds of fighting terrorism. Speaking at a conference, al-Khatib explained that such threats from Western countries come in the aftermath of a statement by the al-Nusra Front last week declaring allegiance to al-Qaeda.



The al-Nusra Front, one of the most effective militant groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, declared allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri on April 10. The statement came days after al-Zawahiri urged fighters trying to topple the Syrian regime to do all that they can to establish an Islamic state in Syria. Later, the leader of al-Qaeda's Iraqi wing, the Islamic State in Iraq, announced that his group and the al-Nusra Front were merging and that the al-Nusra Front was fighting for an Islamic state in Syria. In an audio message posted online, the Iraqi group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, said both groups were merging under the name of "The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant."



The al-Nusra Front statement, however, did not confirm the merger with the Iraqi wing, saying the group had not been consulted on the matter.



Some media reports have suggested that the US, which designated the al-Nusra Front a terrorist organization in December, may find it easier to launch drone attacks on the group inside Syria following its formal announcement expressing loyalty to al-Qaeda.



Al-Khatib, who earlier distanced his coalition from al-Qaeda, said on Thursday that the Syrian opposition would not accept any outside attacks on those fighting to topple the Assad regime. "We will not let anyone target the sons of the Syrian opposition," he said.



Speaking at a meeting in İstanbul earlier this week, al-Khatib said the Syrian opposition rejected "the thoughts of al-Qaeda," insisting that Syria is a country where moderate Islam prevails. He also called on the al-Nusra Front to ignore influence being applied from outside the country and cut off its ties with al-Qaeda.



The acknowledgement of ties to al-Qaeda by the al-Nusra Front has raised concerns over further divisions within the already fractured Syrian opposition. The Syrian government has already asked the UN Security Council to consider sanctions on the al-Nusra Front as a terrorist group. France, a leading supporter of the Syrian opposition, said last week that the Security Council was exploring that possibility.



Commenting on the al-Nusra Front's strict ideology, al-Khatib said the group should preach to people in a positive way, without forcing them into particular religious practices. "If you want to preach to people, do it in a good way. I ask [al-Nusra] to change their goals and not focus on the details," said al-Khatib. The opposition leader said that rather than acting by force, such as requiring women to wear headscarves, the group should simply convey their messages. "Religion is advice," he added.



(Cihan/Today's Zaman)