Washington Has Backed Islamist War Criminals in Syria

When large‐​scale demonstrations broke out against the regime of Bashar al‐​Assad in early 2011, Barack Obama’s administration promptly exploited the situation and began to back anti‐​regime factions. As those demonstrations evolved into an armed insurgency later that year, Washington cooperated closely with outside sponsors of the rebellion, especially Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to channel financial and logistical assistance to the insurgents. By September 2013, Washington was openly sending arms and money of its own to the rebels.