US security and intelligence officials fear that al-Qaida may use Syria as a launching pad for attacks against the US and Western countries. They have said in their intelligence reports that militants from Pakistan have been gathering in the volatile country and regrouping for a major attack against the West.
CIA Director John O Brennan told a House panel recently that al-Qaida has been recruiting militants from Pakistan and planning attacks not only inside Syria but also to use Syria as a launching pad.At the moment, dozens of militant groups are operating across Syria and that’s one of the reasons that the US and its Western allies have refused to give weapons to the Syrian rebel fighters. The US and its allies fear that the weapons may land in hands of the extremists and militant groups that could be ultimately used against interest of the US and its allies.
