A U.S. - Al Qaeda Alliance In Syria?

Members of al Qaeda's Nusra Front carry their weapons as they move towards their positions during an offensive to take control of the northwestern city of Ariha from forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in Idlib province on May 28. Photo: Reuters

Wall Street Journal: To U.S. Allies, Al Qaeda Affiliate in Syria Becomes the Lesser Evil

As Islamic State gains ground, calls to reach out to the Nusra Front intensify

BEIRUT—In the three-way war ravaging Syria, should the local al Qaeda branch be seen as the lesser evil to be wooed rather than bombed?

This is increasingly the view of some of America’s regional allies and even some Western officials. In a war now in its fifth year, in which 230,000 people have been killed and another 7.6 million uprooted, few good options remain for how to tackle the crisis.

The three main forces left on the ground today are the Assad regime, Islamic State and an Islamist rebel alliance in which the Nusra Front—an al Qaeda affiliate designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and the United Nations—plays a major role.

WNU Editor: If this is the group that we want to find ourselves aligned with .... Syria's Al-Qaida Branch Kills 20 Minority Druze Villagers (AP) .... we might as well give up on the conflict.

On a side note .... the above Reuters photograph of Nusra Front fighters is an eye opener. It looks like they are well supplied and armed.