Report: CIA May Target Syrian Extremists with Drones

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is collecting information on Islamic radicals in Syria for possible lethal drone strikes against them at a later stage, The Los Angeles Times reported late Friday.

Citing unnamed current and former U.S. officials, the newspaper said President Barack Obama had not authorized any drone missile strikes in Syria yet, and none were under consideration.

However CIA's Counterterrorism Center, which runs drone programs targeting militants in Pakistan and Yemen, had recently shifted several targeting officers to improve intelligence gathering on militants in Syria.

The targeting officers have formed a unit with colleagues who were tracking al-Qaida operatives in Iraq.

Veteran militants from Iraq are believed to have moved to Syria and joined anti-government Islamic militias there, the report said.

The targeting officers focusing on Syria are based at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, the paper said.

But the agency is working closely with Saudi, Jordanian and other regional spy services active in Syria, according to The Times.

The preparations come as radical Islamic fighters have won a growing share of rebel victories in Syria, the paper said.

The State Department believes that one of the strongest Syrian opposition militias, al Nusra Front, is a terrorist organization that is indistinguishable from the group al-Qaida in Iraq, The Times noted.

Comments 6
Thumb Chupachups 16 March 2013, 07:43

"The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is collecting information on Islamic radicals in Syria for possible lethal drone strikes against them at a later stage"....

LOL so, u will drone them after they collapse Assad? hahahaha

Thumb mckinl 16 March 2013, 09:57

Once the US comes in they never leave ... Germany, Japan etc, etc ...

Thumb mckinl 16 March 2013, 10:00

Read the piece ... They are just collecting info so far ...

Thumb Chupachups 16 March 2013, 11:25

Guess what FT, I've come to realise that Hezbollah is the better of the 2 .. (FSA/Hez)
God help us all if FSA and co win .

Thumb andre.jabbour 16 March 2013, 14:54

The real terrorists are hezbo and the syrian shabi7a. the al nusra front and others are mere copycats...

Thumb kanaandian 16 March 2013, 19:33

Hope the report is true