Private money pours into Syrian conflict as rich donors pick sides

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Syrian tanks were closing in on the rebel-held town of Qusair last month when a Kuwaiti sheik named Hajjaj al-Ajmi and his money machine roared into action. In a series of urgent messages on his Twitter account, Ajmi appealed for cash to help save the town’s defenders.

“I hope that we can be a means for helping them and relieving them,” the young cleric wrote to his 250,000 Twitter followers on May 25. He gave a phone number for making donations and asked readers to “kindly spread it.”

The appeal came too late for the rebels in Qusair, but the technique has proved remarkably successful for Ajmi and a handful of other private backers of Syria’s patchwork of rebel groups. In just over a year, Ajmi’s foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to finance Syrian rebel groups.

U.S. and Middle Eastern officials describe the money as a small portion of a vast pool of private wealth being funneled to Syria’s warring factions, mostly without strings or oversight and outside the control of governments.

The private funding of individual militias — some with extremist views — further complicates the task facing the Obama administration as it ventures into arming Syria’s rebels. With its decision to increase support for the Syrian opposition, Washington is seeking to influence a patchwork of militia groups with wildly different abilities and views about how Syria should be run after the war. . .

good chance for Rambo Tourism

anyone want to pay good money for a chance to see a day of combat?

no??

We just need to stand waayyy back. It appears the jihadis really do intend to fight to the last man.

Thank Allah!

“Ain’t no good side. Both deserve to lose.”
____________________________________

That is pretty much what I was going to post.
Looks like the US is going with the devil that it does not know.

I am so glad I have no money to pour into either side. Wait.. nothing I have belongs to me anyhow. If it were mine, I’d back those you gave everything from the Delaware to battle of Ong Thanh.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

And don’t expect any sympathy from those paying for the sword.

By having money, arms and warriors from many different countries, you now increase the potential that an escalation in Syria will actively involve other nations. This is especially true when other countries like Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Turkey and Dubai are suppressing or already coping with demonstrations and violent unrest.
One risk is active World War with Sunni and Shia nations fighting each other, instead of proxy war through Syria. The alternative is Russian aid to one side or another causing the East versus West tensions to erupt, and Muslim nations using war against the infidel to keep peace in their populations.

Yakhont and S-300 keywords newest to oldest:

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