US: ‘we have enough mercenaries on the ground in Syria, we don’t need to invade’

US: Syria intervention would exacerbate crisis
22 August, 2012 – Al Akhbar

American officials on Tuesday said that the risk that US military intervention in Syria would simply exacerbate the problem limits its options to intervene in the country.

Officials explained to the newspaper New York Times that military operations against Syria would mean risk dragging in Syria’s “patrons”, in particular Iran and Russia, and allowing them to be involved more than they already are.

Military intervention could also allow President Bashar al-Assad to bolster popular anti-Western feeling, and push al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups fighting the Syrian regime to turn against the US to combat what could be seen as a new American “crusade” against the Arab world.

Officials from the Pentagon said that the worst case scenario would require hundreds of thousands of troops which would only ignite further problems in the already tense region.

The officials explained that some rebels had asked for portable rocket launchers known as Manpads which, according to experts, would make a huge difference when fighting against helicopter attacks.

However, the officials pointed out that in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provided Stinger missiles to the mujahedeen fighting the Soviet Union, only to spend millions trying to track them down after the Soviets left and the opposition groups gave rise to the Taliban. …more