Free Syrian Army fighters (Reuters/Muzaffar Salman)
Saudi Arabia's Shadow War -- David Kenner, Foreign Policy
The Kingdom is turning to Pakistan to train Syria’s rebels. It’s a partnership that once went very wrong in Afghanistan. Will history repeat itself?
BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia, having largely abandoned hope that the United States will spearhead international efforts to topple the Assad regime, is embarking on a major new effort to train Syrian rebel forces. And according to three sources with knowledge of the program, Riyadh has enlisted the help of Pakistani instructors to do it.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, along with the CIA, also supported the Afghan rebels against the Soviet-backed government during the 1980s. That collaboration contains a cautionary note for the current day: The fractured Afghan rebels were unable to govern after the old regime fell, paving the way for chaos and the rise of the Taliban. Some of the insurgents, meanwhile, transformed into al Qaeda and eventually turned their weapons against their former patrons.
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Update: Saudis 'turn to Pakistan to train army for Syria war' -- UPI
My Comment: This is a bad idea .... but it looks the Saudis have already made up their mind that this Syrian rebel army should be trained and deployed.
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