ISIS was not unexpected. From Defense Intelligence Agency Chief Michael Flynn, we hear that the White House decided to support armed rebels in Syria despite intelligence warnings forecasting the rise of the Islamic State. See the Foreign Policy Journal article
In a
DIA report 05 AUG 12, specific warnings are given regarding the rise of the Islamic State in eastern Syria. Detailed analysis of the situation and participants were included plus warning about IS.Iraq extending affiliation with Al Qaeda and Salafist groups in a unified jihadist organization. That's what happened. Russia and Iran supported the murderous Assad regime; Turkey, Jordan, and the Gulf States supported the opposition, as did the U.S.. The conflict quickly spawned ISIS, and the country has been devastated. Twenty percent of citizens have fled the country, another thirty-five percent are displaced from their homes but remain within the country. The death toll is between 198,000 and 330,000, depending on the reporting source.
Syria's war: A 5-minute history of the conflict
ISIS, which has claimed responsibility for Friday's terror attacks in Paris, has its origins in Iraq, but the group as we know it today is in many ways a product of Syria's civil war.
Posted by Vox on Saturday, November 14, 2015
In retrospect, western funding and equipping of the opposition forces has had questionable results. We were indeed warned of the likely rise of ISIS, but the Syrian conflict is not just two sides; there are perhaps six or so with little agreement about who is fighting who. The human cost is immeasurable, inexcusable. Is there another path we might have taken?
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