by JURGEN TODENHOFER
Interview with Abu al-Ezz
The not-so-hidden alliance of the US and its NATO allies with Al Qaeda
The not-so-hidden alliance of the US and its NATO allies is described in detail by a commander in Aleppo of al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, al Nusra. Al Nusra wants an Islamic state based on Sharia, no negotiations or ceasefire.
This interview by Jürgen Todenhöfer was first published in German on September 26 2016 in the Kölner Stadtanzeiger, a major newspaper in the Cologne region. It has been translated into English by Moonofalabama.org and posted there. It lays bare what we and others have been arguing — that the west along with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies — are supporting the rebels including al Nusra, the Syrian affiliate of al Qaeda. The Nusra commander makes clear that it is the supply of TOW missiles that gave them control in certain regions and helped them reach equal terms with the government forces. More damning is that the experts from the US, Israel, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc. and helped them “for the use of satellites, missiles, reconnaissance work, thermal surveillance cameras”. This gives some credence to the reports in some of the Russian and Iranian media that one of the Kalibur missiles fired from a Russian warship hit a command post in Idlib region and “took out” American, Turkish and other personnel working with the rebels.
The Nusra commander states categorically no ceasefire, no talks with Assad government, continuation of the war till victory and establishment of a Islamic state based on the Sharia. He also said that they would not allow any convoys with humanitarian aid enter Aleppo, unless the Assad government withdrew completely from eastern Aleppo and gave up the control of the approach roads. It makes credible the alternate view on who attacked the UN aid convoy entering eastern Aleppo — the Russians or Nusra forces. The Russians have argued that it is either the US, which had a drone positioned above the convoy, or the rebels who had attacked the convoy, and not the Russians or the Syrians.
The Nusra commander also makes it clear that they and their allies will not abide by the ceasefire and they are re-grouping to attack the Assad regime. In other words, the ceasefire was no more than providing breathing space to the rebels for regrouping, very similar to the earlier ceasefire, which helped the rebels to regroup after serious reverses.
Newsclick believes that this is a very important interview, carried by a conservative German paper, with a well-known journalist who has carried out many such interviews before.
This interview by Jürgen Todenhöfer was first published in German on September 26 2016 by the Kölner Stadtanzeiger , the major newspaper in the Cologne region. (The interview was copied and translated to English by Bernhard for educational and academic purposes.)
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