US Covert Activities in Syria

CNN reported on Thursday that President Obama has signed a secret order, called an “intelligence finding,” that authorizes US support for Syrian rebels. The exact date of the signing is not known, but CNN says it was apparently signed within the past several months.
Under the order, the CIA and other US agencies may engage in covert activities in aid of the Syrian rebels, much like the order issued by President Obama during the Libya rebel insurrection. The two orders may share the same basis for excluding military aid - that the rebel forces are not sufficiently identified for such support.
The reasoning given by unnamed sources for the President’s action is that since the UN has failed in its attempts to resolve the Syria crisis or to enact more severe sanctions against the al-Assad regime, it is time for unilateral action aimed at helping the rebel cause in Syria.
The Obama administration has often ruled out military aid in public statements, so it may be that arming the Syrian rebels is not included in the order, although this is not certain because of the CIA’s normally broad mandate.
We also know that the US has provided the rebels with communications equipment and given a license to the Washington Syrian Support Group so that it can provide direct financial assistance to the Free Syrian Army. The license excludes providing military equipment.
CNN is also reporting that unnamed US sources have told their reporters that America is cooperating with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other regional states to identify rebel groups that would be acceptable candidates for military aid. This cooperation also includes providing US intelligence on al-Assad troop movements for re-transmission to the rebels.
The State Department said Wednesday the US has earmarked $25 Million for “non-lethal” aid to the Syrian rebels, with another $64 Million in humanitarian aid for the Syrian people, which includes funding for the World Food Program, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other aid agencies that help with the tens of thousands of refugees crossing Syria's borders to neighboring Turkey and Jordan. Today, for example, the Turkish government stated that it is now harboring 50,000 Syrian refugees.
That, dear readers, is what we know.
What does it all mean?
First, the order is not new, so we may assume that the CIA and other US covert operatives have been in Syria for some time, undoubtedly even before the order was signed.
If this is true, then we may also assume that they are about to engage in covert activities that may quickly lead to the possibility of their being identified and so the order would provide cover for the US government if they are revealed or captured.
We may also conclude that the battle for Aleppo is significant in regard to making the order public. Aleppo is the Free Syrian Army’s last stand, so to speak. Who wins Aleppo wins the country eventually. So, we may also assume that US covert operatives are in Aleppo and providing assistance to the rebels trying to hold the city.
And, now that al-Assad has authorized fighter plane and helicopter gunship attacks, it may well be that the US is providing the logistics needed to attack the Aleppo military airport. These attacks were made public today. The rebels are using tanks captured from al-Assad forces. Who is helping to refurbish them and provide parts and ammunition? The CIA, through Turkey, might be a good surmise. And, providing pinpoint targeting coordinates could also be part of the covert US activities.
But, there is another important part to the puzzle.
World news is full of stories today about al-Qaida’s presence in Syria. There are many reports but not much information.
However, tonight on Christiane Amanpour’s CNN program, a representative of the US State Department suggested that the al-Qaida presence is increasing in Syria, and it is coming from outside the country.
Significantly, Iran.
So, whatever the official wording of the order may be, it is entirely possible that the concept of “covert activities in aid of the Syrian rebels” may be interpreted to include activities outside Syria. This would undoubtedly include Iraq, the gateway for Iran’s delivery of al-Qaida operatives -- Iran-Iraq-Syria.
Whatever else is going on clandestinely under this new presidential order, my guess is that the CIA and other US agents are in Iraq, close to the Iranian border, providing on-the-ground intelligence about al-Qaida movements from Iran into Iraq and forward into Syria.
This would make sense because al-Qaida is still America’s and the world’s biggest terrorist target, and stopping them from insinuating themselves into Syria’s post-Assad future would make it somewhat less likely that the departure of al-Assad will cause even worse regional instability.