Analyst: Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria now best-equipped of the group
CNN ^ | updated 8:14 AM EDT, Mon June 17, 2013 | Barbara Starr, Holly Yan and Chelsea J. Carter
Posted on Monday, June 17, 2013 9:34:32 AM by Pan_Yan
(CNN) -- Al Qaeda's affiliate inside Syria is now the best-equipped arm of the terror group in existence today, according to informal assessments by U.S. and Middle East intelligence agencies, a private sector analyst directly familiar with the information told CNN.
Concern about the Syrian al Qaeda-affiliated group Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the al-Nusra Front, is at an all-time high, according to the analyst, with as many as 10,000 fighters and supporters inside Syria. The United States has designated al-Nusra Front as a terrorist group with links to al Qaeda in Iraq.
That assessment is shared by some Middle Eastern intelligence agencies that have long believed the United States is underestimating the Sunni-backed al Qaeda movement in the country, according to a Middle East source. It is also believed that Iran is running training camps inside Syria for Hezbollah and that other Iranian militia fighters are coming into the country to fight for the regime.
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While world leaders struggle to form a unified front, the seesaw battles rage on inside Syria -- and at a staggering price. About 5,000 Syrians are killed every month, the United Nations said.
The opposition once controlled the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk, which served as a Palestinian refugee camp. But Palestinian fighters supporting the regime say they're taking the area back.
"We will keep fighting until we get rid of Jabhat al-Nusra and al Qaeda and all other insurgents in Syria," fighter Abu Ihad told CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Yarmouk.
The pro-government fighters said they're angry about the U.S. decision to arm the opposition, especially since members of al-Nusra Front have joined the rebels.
In recent weeks, the rebels have suffered a series of devastating setbacks. Their loss of the stronghold Qusayr coincided with the arrival of Hezbollah fighters supporting Syrian troops.
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