[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022ds-1col clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n  \n  \u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Connection between Iraq and  Al-Qaeda\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn  the lead up to the Iraq War, President George W. Bush used his State of the  Union address to document a connection between Saddam Hussein\u2019s government and  al-Qaeda, stating, \u201cEvidence from intelligence sources, secret communications,  and statements by people now in custody, reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and  protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaeda.\u201d As the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times \u003C\/em\u003Ereported, one of those links between  al-Qaeda and Iraq was the \u201cpresence in Baghdad\u201d of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who  \u201chad received medical treatment in Iraq for wounds supposedly suffered in  Afghanistan.\u201d \u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJames Risen, \u201cSTATE OF THE  UNION: Collecting PROOF; Bush\u2019s Speech Puts New Focus on State of Intelligence  Data,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, January 29, 2003, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2003\/01\/29\/world\/state-union-collecting-proof-bush-s-speech-puts-new-focus-state-intelligence.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2003\/01\/29\/world\/state-union-collecting-proof-bush-s-speech-puts-new-focus-state-intelligence.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENearly  one week after President Bush\u2019s address, the paper reported that an  \u201cintelligence breakthrough,\u201d gathered through interrogations and an intercepted  phone call, \u201cmade it possible for Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to  [present evidence that] a well developed cell of al-Qaeda operating out of  Baghdad that was responsible for the assassination of the American diplomat  Laurence Foley last October.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EPatrick E. Tyler, \u201cIntelligence  Break Led U.S. to Tie Envoy Killing to Iraq Qaeda Cell,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E,  February 6, 2003, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2003\/02\/06\/world\/threats-responses-terror-network-intelligence-break-led-us-tie-envoy-killing.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2003\/02\/06\/world\/threats-responses-terror-network-intelligence-break-led-us-tie-envoy-killing.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe  British press was far more skeptical. As Colin Powell was set to present his  case to the United Nations, the BBCreported that a leaked British intelligence report concluded there  were \u201cno current links\u201d between Iraq and al-Qaeda. The article noted  frustration among British \u201cintelligence sources\u201d that their work was being  politicized to support the war, stating that the intelligence report\u2019s  conclusion \u201cflatly contradicts one of the main charges\u201d against Saddam Hussein.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cLeaked Report Rejects Iraqi  Al-Qaeda Link,\u201d BBC News,  February 5, 2003, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/uk_news\/2727471.stm\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/uk_news\/2727471.stm\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E was even more skeptical in its coverage of the  Iraq\u2013al-Qaeda link. For an article titled, \u201cFalse Trails That Lead to the  Al-Qaeda \u2018Links\u2019,\u201d the outlet interviewed a former CIA analyst who said that  his \u201csources at the CIA\u2026are saying the evidence [of a link between al-Qaeda and  Saddam] is simply not there.\u201d The \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E claimed that his view \u201csummarizes what many in the intelligence  community on both side of the Atlantic believe,\u201d concluding bluntly, \u201cThe  evidence on al-Qaeda is very flimsy. Claims of a meeting between an Iraqi  intelligence officer and Mohamed Atta, one of the 9\/11 suicide bombers, are  shaky at best. So too is knowledge of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an alleged  associate of Osama bin Laden\u2019s, who is said to have been in Baghdad for medical  treatment.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EEd Vulliamy and Martin Bright,  \u201cFalse Trails that Lead to the Al-Qaeda \u2018Links,\u2019\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E (London), February 1, 2003, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2003\/feb\/02\/alqaida.iraq\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2003\/feb\/02\/alqaida.iraq\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EZarqawi Pledges Allegiance to  Al-Qaeda\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen  Zarqawi\u2019s Tawhid and Jihad organization pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in  October 2004, the Associated Press  noted that al-Qaeda and Zarqawi had been in contact for eight months, and  pointed out that \u201c[Zarqawi\u2019s] relationship to bin Laden and the al-Qaeda  leadership has long been the subject of considerable speculation.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cZarqawi Movement Vows Al-Qaeda  Allegiance,\u201d Associated Press,  October 18, 2004, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/usatoday30.usatoday.com\/news\/world\/iraq\/2004-10-18-iraq-alqaeda_x.htm\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/usatoday30.usatoday.com\/news\/world\/iraq\/2004-10-18-iraq-alqaeda_x.htm\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E CNN noted that the report Colin Powell presented to the UN in 2003, which  asserted a link between Zarqawi, al-Qaeda, and the Iraqi regime, \u201chad been  called into question,\u201d and that reports of Zarqawi having his leg amputated in  Iraq \u201cappeared to have been incorrect.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cAl-Zarqawi  group claims allegiance to bin Laden,\u201d CNN,  October 17, 2004, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2004\/WORLD\/meast\/10\/17\/al.zarqawi.statement\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2004\/WORLD\/meast\/10\/17\/al.zarqawi.statement\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Associated Press also pointed out that \u201cterror mastermind Abu Musab  al-Zarqawi\u201d and al-Qaeda had been in contact for eight months, though it  similarly noted the \u201cconsiderable speculation\u201d that had long surrounded his  relationship with the organization.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cZarqawi Movement Vows Al-Qaeda  Allegiance,\u201d Associated Press,  October 18, 2004, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/usatoday30.usatoday.com\/news\/world\/iraq\/2004-10-18-iraq-alqaeda_x.htm\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/usatoday30.usatoday.com\/news\/world\/iraq\/2004-10-18-iraq-alqaeda_x.htm\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe  BBChedged its report by  referencing the \u201cspeculation before now about whether Zarqawi and Bin Laden are  allies or rivals,\u201d and noted that, \u201cSome reports claim the two men have little  connection at all.\u201d Furthermore, the same report cautioned that \u201cbogus  messages\u201d had been posted on Islamic websites before, though it cited analysts  who said that the pledge \u201cmay well be genuine.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EDavid Bamford, \u201cZarqawi \u2018Shows  Bin Laden Loyalty,\u2019\u201d BBC News,  October 18, 2004, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/middle_east\/3752616.stm\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/middle_east\/3752616.stm\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EZarqawi\u2019s Death\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn  its obituary for Zarqawi, the \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E called him the \u201cself-styled leader\u201d of ISI that Britons would \u201cforever  associate\u201d with the 2004 kidnapping and beheading of British citizen Ken  Bigley. The obituary stated that Zarqawi \u201cplayed a pivotal, if curious role, in  the US decision to invade Iraq,\u201d but also highlighted much of Zarqawi\u2019s  brutality in Iraq, and mentioned his plan for igniting civil war between Iraq\u2019s  Sunnis and Shiites.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ELawrence Joffe, \u201cAbu Musab  Al-Zarqawi,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E (London),  June 8, 2006, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2006\/jun\/09\/guardianobituaries.alqaida\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2006\/jun\/09\/guardianobituaries.alqaida\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Associated Pressfocused very little of its  immediate coverage on the legacy and background of Zarqawi. Instead, the  network reported details of the airstrike that killed him, while noting that his  death \u201cwas not likely to end the insurgency\u201d because another \u201cforeign-born  militant was poised to take over the terror network\u2019s operations.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cAl-Zarqawi Tried to Flee in  Dying Moments,\u201d NBC News, June  10, 2006, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/id\/13222000\/ns\/world_news-mideast_n_africa\/t\/al-zarqawi-tried-flee-dying-moments\/#.U58GmrHOddg\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/id\/13222000\/ns\/world_news-mideast_n_africa\/t\/al-zarqawi-tried-flee-dying-moments\/#.U58GmrHOddg\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor  its part, the BBCcalled  Zarqawi \u201cIraq\u2019s most notorious insurgent,\u201d but highlighted that \u201cmost  information on him is restricted to what his enemies and supporters have  attributed to him.\u201d The obituary for Zarqawi also hinted that the BBC remained  unsure of Zarqawi\u2019s links to Saddam Hussein\u2019s regime. \u201cIntelligence reports  indicated he was in Baghdad and\u2014according to Mr. Powell\u2014this was a sure sign  that Saddam Hussein was courting al-Qaeda, which, in turn, justified an attack  on Iraq.\u201d In conclusion, the obituary surmised that, \u201clike so much else about  Zarqawi\u2019s life, the true facts seem likely to remain shrouded in uncertainty.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cObituary: Abu Musab  Al-Zarqawi,\u201d BBC News, June 8,  2006, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/middle_east\/5058262.stm\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/middle_east\/5058262.stm\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EAl-Qaeda in Iraq Declines\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy  mid 2008, the media narrative shifted to the success of the Sunni Awakening as  former insurgents turned against al-Qaeda, resulting in the decline of  al-Qaeda\u2019s strength in Iraq. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Associated Pressquoted General David Petraeus,  then-commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, as saying, \u201cWe do think that there is  some assessment ongoing as to the continued viability of Al Qaeda\u2019s fight in  Iraq.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cPetraeus: Al Qaeda Could Be  Shifting Focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, Pakistan,\u201d Fox News, July 19, 2008, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/story\/2008\/07\/19\/petraeus-al-qaeda-could-be-shifting-focus-from-iraq-to-afghanistan-pakistan\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/story\/2008\/07\/19\/petraeus-al-qaeda-could-be-shifting-focus-from-iraq-to-afghanistan-pakistan\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen  Coalition forces killed AQI\u2019s deputy leader Abu Qaswarah in October 2008, CNNreported that the Sunni  Awakening Councils had \u201cturned against al Qaeda in Iraq, helping to diminish  its presence in several parts of the country.\u201d The article concluded by quoting  military officials who said that the deputy leader\u2019s death \u201cwill significantly  degrade [ISI] operations in Mosul and northern Iraq, leaving the network  without a leader to oversee and coordinate its operations in the region.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cU.S. Military: Senior Al Qaeda  Chief Killed in Iraq,\u201d CNN,  October 15, 2008, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2008\/WORLD\/meast\/10\/15\/iraq.alqaeda.leader\/index.html?eref=time_world\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2008\/WORLD\/meast\/10\/15\/iraq.alqaeda.leader\/index.html?eref=time_world\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDeaths of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi  and Abu Ayyub al-Masri\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen  Coalition forces killed top ISI leaders Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub  al-Masri in April 2010, Fox Newshighlighted  statements from Vice President Joe Biden and General Ray Odierno regarding the  organization\u2019s status. According to Biden, the deaths of the two leaders marked  a \u201cpotentially devastating\u201d blow to the network, and the raid that killed them  \u201cdemonstrates the improved security, strength and capacity of Iraqi security  forces.\u201d Odierno echoed similar sentiments, commenting, \u201cThe death of these  terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to Al Qaeda in Iraq since  the beginning of the insurgency.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201c2 Most Wanted Al Qaeda Leaders  in Iraq Killed by U.S., Iraqi Forces,\u201d Fox  News, April 19, 2010, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/2010\/04\/19\/iraqi-al-qaeda-leader-killed-countrys-intelligence-team-pm-maliki-says\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/2010\/04\/19\/iraqi-al-qaeda-leader-killed-countrys-intelligence-team-pm-maliki-says\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe  BBC noted the same comments  from both men, but cautioned that \u201cthe death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2006  did little to slow the insurgency...The militants\u2019 fortunes in Iraq are at a  low ebb\u2026and the deaths of its leaders are no doubt a factor in that, but there  are many other elements involved too.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cSenior Iraqi Al-Qaeda Leaders  \u2018Killed,\u2019\u201d BBC News, April 19,  2010, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/middle_east\/8630213.stm\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/middle_east\/8630213.stm\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Associated Presswrote, \u201cThough al-Qaida has shown  it is still capable of staging its hallmark coordinated suicide attacks against  high-profile targets in the heart of the capital, U.S. and Iraqi military  operations have diminished its power since the height of the violence several  years ago.\u201d Furthermore, the network described their deaths as \u201ca significant  boost for [Iraqi Prime Minister] al-Maliki, who has staked his reputation on  being the man who can restore stability to Iraq after years of bloodshed.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ELara Jakes and Qassim  Abdul-Zahra, \u201cU.S.: Top Al-Qaida in Iraq Leaders Killed,\u201d NBC News, April 19, 2010, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/id\/36647757\/ns\/world_news-mideast_n_africa\/t\/us-top-al-qaida-iraq-leaders-killed\/#.U580ObHOddg\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/id\/36647757\/ns\/world_news-mideast_n_africa\/t\/us-top-al-qaida-iraq-leaders-killed\/#.U580ObHOddg\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EISI: Neutralized or Resurgent?\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn  June 2010, the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E carried General Odierno\u2019s reports that ISI had \u201clost connection\u201d to its central  leadership, and would \u201cface difficulties as it tried to promote new officers  for its efforts to topple the Iraqi government and establish havens.\u201d That news  prompted the paper to run with the headline, \u201cQaeda Leaders in Iraq  Neutralized, U.S. Says.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EThom Shanker, \u201cQaeda Leaders in  Iraq Neutralized, U.S. Says,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, June 4, 2010, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/06\/05\/world\/middleeast\/05military.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/06\/05\/world\/middleeast\/05military.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E offered a starkly different take. In an article just  two months later, the outlet wrote that al-Qaeda was \u201cattempting to make a  comeback in Iraq\u201d and \u201cexploiting the imminent departure of US fighting troops\u201d  by recruiting former Sunni Awakening fighters who were disgruntled that they  had not collected their paychecks for more than two months. One of the  Awakening Council leaders was quoted saying, \u201cAl-Qaida has made a big comeback  here. This is my neighborhood and I know every single person living here. And I  know where their allegiances lie now.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt  the end of 2011, the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E offered a different assessment. The paper reported in November 2011 that, as  U.S. combat troops prepared to leave the country, \u201csenior American and Iraqi  officials are expressing growing concern\u2026[that ISI] is poised for a deadly  resurgence.\u201d The paper attributed ISI\u2019s rebound to a change in tactics,  allowing it to \u201cexploit gaps left by the departing American troops\u2026.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMichael S. Schmidt and Eric  Schmitt, \u201cLeaving Iraq, U.S. Fears New Surge of Qaeda Terror,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York  Times\u003C\/em\u003E, November 5, 2011, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/11\/06\/world\/middleeast\/leaving-iraq-us-fears-new-surge-of-qaeda-terror.html?pagewanted=all\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/11\/06\/world\/middleeast\/leaving-iraq-us-fears-new-surge-of-qaeda-terror.html?pagewanted=all\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy  2012, the Associated Press reported  that ISI had established training camps for insurgents in western Iraq, drawing  from a pool of men who either escaped or were released from Iraq\u2019s prisons to  double in size between late 2011 and late 2012. One \u201cShiite\u201d government  employee that the paper interviewed said that ISI \u201cis much stronger than what  the Iraqi officials are imagining\u2026The terrorist group is able to launch big  attacks and free its members from Iraqi prisons, and this indicates that  al-Qaeda is stronger than our security forces.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EQassim Abdul-Zahra and Lara  Jakes, \u201cAl-Qaida Making Comeback in Iraq, Officials Say,\u201d Associated Press, October 9, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bigstory.ap.org\/article\/al-qaida-making-comeback-iraq-officials-say\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/bigstory.ap.org\/article\/al-qaida-making-comeback-iraq-officials-say\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EEmerging in Syria or Regime  Propaganda?\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne  of the problems with reporting on the Syrian civil war, especially in its early  stage, was a relative dearth of media outlets actually reporting from inside  the country. Journalists based in neighboring countries were still piecing  together reports from accounts they were hearing from Syrian citizens on the  ground and from the Syrian regime itself. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen  al-Qaeda\u2013style attacks began occurring more frequently in Syria between late  2011 and early 2012, reports from Syrian citizens and the regime tended to  contradict each other entirely. When two car bombs hit the State Security  Directorate in Damascus on December 23, 2011, the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times \u003C\/em\u003Ewrote that it \u201cappeared to be the most  brazen and deadly attack\u201d against the Assad regime since the uprising began,  and Syria\u2019s deputy foreign minister Faisal Mekdad remarked, \u201cWe said it from  the beginning, this is terrorism\u2026They are killing the army and civilians.\u201d The  paper also published reactions from opposition members who accused the regime  of playing a role, but state that they \u201coffered no proof for that claim.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EKareem Fahim, \u201cSyria Blames Al  Qaeda after Bombs Kill Dozens in Damascus,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew  York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, December 23, 2011, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/12\/24\/world\/middleeast\/syria-says-suicide-bombers-attack-in-damascus.html?_r=0\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/12\/24\/world\/middleeast\/syria-says-suicide-bombers-attack-in-damascus.html?_r=0\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EReporting  the same news, the \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E gave  substantially more space to the opposition\u2019s claims against the government,  raising their accusations in the second paragraph of the article. The \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E highlighted the  fact that the bombs detonated \u201cshortly after the arrival of Arab League  observers\u201d to Damascus, noting that it was the first large bombing in the  capital since the uprising began\u003Cem\u003E. \u003C\/em\u003EAccording to one opposition activist the paper interviewed, \u201cThe  presence of the Arab League advance team of observers pushed the regime to give  this story in order to scare the committee from moving around Syria.\u201d Adding  further skepticism to the regime\u2019s position, the article noted Syrian Foreign Minister  Walid Muallem\u2019s prediction that the Arab League observers would \u201ccome and see  that [terrorist groups] are present.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMartin Chulov and Matthew  Weaver, \u201cSyria blames al-Qaida after two car bombs kill dozens in Damascus,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGuardian\u003C\/em\u003E (London), December 23, 2011, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2011\/dec\/23\/syria-blames-alqaida-bombs-damascus\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2011\/dec\/23\/syria-blames-alqaida-bombs-damascus\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen  the next major bombing struck on January 6, the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E seemed torn between which narrative to  believe. The paper flatly noted that \u201cEvidence was scant for either the  government\u2019s or the opposition\u2019s narrative, but the bombing seemed to underline  each party\u2019s version of events: a dictatorial government so cynical as to kill  its own people or a religiously inspired opposition bent on sowing anarchy in  an increasingly combustible country.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAnthony Shadid, \u201cBomb Kills  Dozens in Damascus, Stoking Suspicions,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew  York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, January 6, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/mobile.nytimes.com\/2012\/01\/07\/world\/middleeast\/bomb-attack-in-syrian-capital-kills-25.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/mobile.nytimes.com\/2012\/01\/07\/world\/middleeast\/bomb-attack-in-syrian-capital-kills-25.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EHaaretz\u003C\/em\u003E was markedly less torn in its  coverage. The Israeli newspaper opened by saying that the Syrian opposition  \u201cdemanded an independent investigation\u201d of the bombing, and then quoted  \u201ceyewitnesses\u201d in the neighborhood who reported that \u201ctens of ambulances were  in the area approximately three hours prior\u201d and \u201cadded that state-run news  crews began their on-site coverage of the attack almost immediately after it  occurred.\u201d Meanwhile, the report gave almost no space to the government\u2019s side  of the story.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJack Khoury, \u201cSyria Opposition  Claims Assad behind Deadly Damascus Terrorist Attack,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EHaaretz\u003C\/em\u003E, January  7, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/news\/middle-east\/syria-opposition-claims-assad-behind-deadly-damascus-terrorist-attack-1.406008\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/news\/middle-east\/syria-opposition-claims-assad-behind-deadly-damascus-terrorist-attack-1.406008\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever,  as bombings continued to strike Damascus and Aleppo, the media quickly turned  their attention to al-Qaeda\u2019s affiliates in the region. When car bombs hit  security buildings in Aleppo in February 2012, the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E conceded that, while the perpetrators  were still unknown, \u201cit seemed Syria was facing the kind of violence it had  long been accused of supporting in neighboring Iraq and Lebanon.\u201d The report  went as far as to say that the attacks \u201csuggest that now foreign fighters may  indeed be jumping into the conflict\u2026.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ENeil MacFarquhar, \u201c2 Security  Complex Car Bombings Kill Dozens, Syria Says,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, February  10, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/02\/11\/world\/middleeast\/blasts-in-aleppo-syria-homs-violence-said-to-continue.html?pagewanted=all\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/02\/11\/world\/middleeast\/blasts-in-aleppo-syria-homs-violence-said-to-continue.html?pagewanted=all\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe  day after the bombings, McClatchy  cited unnamed U.S. officials who pinned responsibility on al-Qaeda in Iraq  (AQI). The report stated flatly that ISI \u201ccarried out two recent bombings\u201d in  Damascus, though noted it \u201clikely was behind suicide bombings Friday that  killed at least 28 people in the largest city, Aleppo\u2026\u201d According to one of the  officials, the bombings in Aleppo were \u201c[al-Qaeda leader] Zawahiri basically  taking the shackles off.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJonathan S. Landay, \u201cU.S.  Officials: Al Qaida behind Syria Bombings,\u201d McClatchy DC, February 10, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/2012\/02\/10\/138593\/us-officials-al-qaida-behind-syria.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/2012\/02\/10\/138593\/us-officials-al-qaida-behind-syria.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EISI Merges with Nusra Front,  Forming ISIS\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen  the Islamic State of Iraq merged with the Nusra Front to form the Islamic State  of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in April 2013, the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E reported that the union \u201cappeared to  strengthen the role of Islamic militants in the Syrian insurgency and further  complicate Western assistance efforts.\u201d But it also highlighted pushback from  the secular Free Syrian Army (FSA) in response to ISIS\u2019s leader telling Syrians  to not \u201cmake democracy a price for those thousands among you who have been  killed.\u201d An FSA spokesman retorted that, \u201cNo one has the right to impose any  form of state on Syrians. Syrians will go to the polls to choose their leaders  and form their own state.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EHania Mourtada and Rick  Gladstone, \u201cIraq\u2019s Branch of Al Qaeda Merges with Syria Jihadists,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, April 9, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/04\/10\/world\/middleeast\/Iraq-and-Syria-jihadists-combine.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/04\/10\/world\/middleeast\/Iraq-and-Syria-jihadists-combine.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cem\u003EFinancial Times\u003C\/em\u003E also reported that the merger  would increase the power of \u201cradical Islamist factions\u201d and also \u201cdismay  western backers of the rebellion\u2026.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMichael Peel and Borzou Daragahi,  \u201cSyria and Iraqi Radical Islamists Merge,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EFinancial Times\u003C\/em\u003E, April 9,  2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ft.com\/intl\/cms\/s\/0\/f27707c6-a12e-11e2-990c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz34LD14Jyj\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.ft.com\/intl\/cms\/s\/0\/f27707c6-a12e-11e2-990c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz34LD14Jyj\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E London\u2019s \u003Cem\u003EDaily Telegraph\u003C\/em\u003E noted  that the U.S. designation of the Nusra Front in December 2012 showed \u201cthe  ambiguous attitude of the West to the revolution in Syria.\u201d The \u003Cem\u003ETelegraph\u003C\/em\u003E also claimed that the major  dilemma for Western policy was embodied by Eric Harroun, a U.S. army veteran  who fought alongside the Nusra Front in Syria before a Virginia court charged  him with firing a rocket-propelled grenade while fighting with a terrorist  group.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ERichard Spencer, \u201cAl-Qaeda in  Iraq Claims Merger with Syria\u2019s Jabhat Al-Nusra,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EDaily Telegraph\u003C\/em\u003E (London), April 9, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/middleeast\/syria\/9982477\/Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq-claims-merger-with-Syrias-Jabhat-al-Nusra.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/middleeast\/syria\/9982477\/Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq-claims-merger-with-Syrias-Jabhat-al-Nusra.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESafe Haven for Foreign Fighters\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring  summer 2013, media outlets reported that jihadist  groups had secured safe havens in Syria and posed a major terrorist  threat. The \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E reported  that the West had lost an opportunity to influence the outcome of the conflict  in Syria as more than 6,000 fighters had entered the country as a result of its  \u201cfear of militants coming to dominate the opposition\u2026\u201d.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAnne Barnard and Eric Schmitt,  \u201cAs Foreign Fighters Flood Syria, Fears of a New Extremist Haven,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York  Times\u003C\/em\u003E, August 8, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/08\/09\/world\/middleeast\/as-foreign-fighters-flood-syria-fears-of-a-new-extremist-haven.html?pagewanted=all\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/08\/09\/world\/middleeast\/as-foreign-fighters-flood-syria-fears-of-a-new-extremist-haven.html?pagewanted=all\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn  September, The Washington Post editorial  board argued that, while U.S. members of Congress were rightfully worried that  Western military action in Syria could strengthen extremists, \u201c[T]he threat to  both Syria and U.S. national interests from the jihadists\u201d would worsen if they  failed to act. As the board further noted, \u201c\u2026They are determined to create a  safe haven for al-Qaeda in Syria\u2026while imposing a Taliban-style fundamentalist  regime.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy  October 2013, the \u003Cem\u003EWashington Times\u003C\/em\u003E reported that \u201cSyria has become al Qaeda\u2019s largest safe haven, with more  than 10,000 fighters\u201d and \u201cprovides al Qaeda with a new base from which to  attack Western targets.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EKristina Wong, \u201cSyria Becomes  Largest Home to Al Qaeda; Jihadists Find Safe Haven to Plot Attacks,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EWashington  Times\u003C\/em\u003E, October 31, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2013\/oct\/31\/syria-becomes-largest-home-to-al-qaeda\/?page=all\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2013\/oct\/31\/syria-becomes-largest-home-to-al-qaeda\/?page=all\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERebel Infighting \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMedia  coverage of rebel in-fighting has centered on ISIS\u2019s brutal attacks against the  Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other local rebel brigades, which undermine rebel  efforts against the Syrian regime. In July 2013, the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times \u003C\/em\u003Ereported that ISIS had shot and killed  one of the FSA\u2019s commanders and had beheaded several FSA foot soldiers. One FSA  fighter told the paper that Syrians had \u201cstaged demonstrations to get freedom,  not to have an emir ruling us.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAnne Barnard and Hwaida Saad,  \u201cSyrian Rebel Infighting Undermines Anti-Assad Effort,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E,  July 12, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/07\/13\/world\/middleeast\/syrian-rebel-infighting-undermines-anti-assad-effort.html?pagewanted=all\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/07\/13\/world\/middleeast\/syrian-rebel-infighting-undermines-anti-assad-effort.html?pagewanted=all\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen  ISIS battled local rebel groups in Azzaz, a group of six rebel brigades  reportedly \u201ctook a jab at the strict ideology of the ISIS jihadists,\u201d telling  them not \u201cto shed the blood of Muslims and be hasty in calling them heretics  and apostates.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EBen Hubbard, \u201cFighting between  Rebels Intensifies over a Strategic Town in Syria,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E,  October 3, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/10\/04\/world\/middleeast\/syria.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/10\/04\/world\/middleeast\/syria.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E After rebel brigades  pushed ISIS out of its headquarters in Aleppo in January 2014, the \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E highlighted  opposition members \u201cwho have compared the group\u2019s heavy-handed tactics to those  of Mr. Assad\u2019s government.\u201d One activist said, \u201cNow my neighborhood has been  liberated twice. Once from the regime and the second time from ISIS.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EBen Hubbard, \u201cSyrian Rebels Deal  Qaeda-Linked Group a Reversal,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, January 8, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/01\/09\/world\/middleeast\/syrian-rebels-said-to-oust-qaeda-linked-group-from-its-aleppo-headquarters.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/01\/09\/world\/middleeast\/syrian-rebels-said-to-oust-qaeda-linked-group-from-its-aleppo-headquarters.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EAl-Qaeda Central Cuts Off ISIS\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen  al-Qaeda leaderAyman  al-Zawahri issued a statement cutting ties with ISIS in February 2014, multiple  outlets interpreted the move to mean that ISIS was too extreme for its former  mother organization. \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECNN\u2019sPeter  Bergen wrote, \u201cWhen even al Qaeda publicly rejects you because you are too  brutal, it\u2019s likely a reasonable indicator that you are.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EPeter Bergen, \u201cA Terror Group  Too Brutal for Al Qaeda?\u201d CNN,  February 5, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/02\/04\/opinion\/bergen-al-qaeda-brutality-syria\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/02\/04\/opinion\/bergen-al-qaeda-brutality-syria\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E Bergen also noted that al-Qaeda\u2019s leadership has long been concerned about  alienating Muslim populations\u2014which became apparent when Ayman al-Zawahri asked  al-Qaeda in Iraq to stop killing Shiite civilians in 2005 and when Osama Bin  Laden told al-Shabab \u201cto stop attacking in the central market\u201d of Mogadishu.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EPeter Bergen, \u201cA Terror Group  Too Brutal for Al Qaeda?\u201d CNN,  February 5, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/02\/04\/opinion\/bergen-al-qaeda-brutality-syria\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/02\/04\/opinion\/bergen-al-qaeda-brutality-syria\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cem\u003EHuffington Post \u003C\/em\u003Eexplained that \u201c[T]he blunt  statement from al-Qaeda reinforced [ISIS\u2019s] pariah status as a militant body so  inflexible that it is shunned even by other hardline Islamists.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMax J. Rosenthal, \u201cAl Qaeda Cuts  off Powerful but Brutal Islamist Group in Syria,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EHuffington Post\u003C\/em\u003E,  February 3, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/02\/03\/al-qaeda-isis_n_4717567.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/02\/03\/al-qaeda-isis_n_4717567.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E The article suggested that the move might isolate ISIS and boost the  credibility of the Nusra Front, which \u201chas gained a reputation as a pragmatic  group\u201d despite its \u201chardline Islamist doctrine.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMax J. Rosenthal, \u201cAl Qaeda Cuts  off Powerful but Brutal Islamist Group in Syria,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EHuffington Post\u003C\/em\u003E,  February 3, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/02\/03\/al-qaeda-isis_n_4717567.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2014\/02\/03\/al-qaeda-isis_n_4717567.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Cem\u003EDaily Telegraph\u003C\/em\u003E continued with the same conclusion  that al-Qaeda disavowed the group because it was \u201ctoo extreme even for the  organization founded by Osama bin Laden.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ERuth Sherlock, \u201cAl-Qaeda Cuts  Links with Syrian Group Too Extreme Even for Them,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EDaily Telegraph\u003C\/em\u003E (London), February 3, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/middleeast\/syria\/10614037\/Al-Qaeda-cuts-links-with-Syrian-group-too-extreme-even-for-them.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/middleeast\/syria\/10614037\/Al-Qaeda-cuts-links-with-Syrian-group-too-extreme-even-for-them.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E Like the \u003Cem\u003EHuffington Post\u003C\/em\u003E,  it also claimed that the Nusra Front \u201chas grown in popularity in Syria\u201d because  it has a smaller contingent of foreigners in its ranks, and \u201chas used a more  pragmatic, less dictatorial approach to imposing hardline Islamic law on the  country.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ERuth Sherlock, \u201cAl-Qaeda Cuts  Links with Syrian Group Too Extreme Even for Them,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EDaily Telegraph\u003C\/em\u003E (London), February 3, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/middleeast\/syria\/10614037\/Al-Qaeda-cuts-links-with-Syrian-group-too-extreme-even-for-them.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/worldnews\/middleeast\/syria\/10614037\/Al-Qaeda-cuts-links-with-Syrian-group-too-extreme-even-for-them.html\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n","dialogOptions":{"minWidth":850,"resizable":true,"modal":true,"title":"Western Media"}},{"command":"doFootnotes"}]