Iranian fighters posing as pilgrims among group captured by Syrian rebels, US officials confirm

foxnews.com ^

[tsowellfan]

Many of the 48 Iranian men captured in Syria on August 4 who claimed to be religious pilgrims are in fact active-duty Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, multiple U.S. officials tell Fox News.

Members of the Free Syrian Army captured the group while they traveled on a bus in Damascus.

According to these officials, top members of the Iranian government have reached out to President Bashar Assad to help secure their release. The Iranians say these men were on a Shiite pilgrimage visiting the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, a holy Shiite site in the suburbs of Damascus.

Syria's state television claimed the men were captured by an "armed terrorist group."...

[Paladin2]

There seems to be no side for the US to take in Syria's current hostilities. That's a good thing.

I used to think that the US should have taken out the Syrian armed forces on the way into Iraq, but it looks like they are doing the job themselves, just some years later.

[Doogle]

...lotsa “posing” going on, but it figures Odungo would be involved, the little posing boy king, King Poser

[Daveinyork]

Sauce for gander.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks tsowellfan.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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[Blood of Tyrants]

There is no “good” side to be on in this mess. It is only an internal struggle to determine if the current dictator will be retained or if a new one will take his place. I tend to lean towards the current dictator because he is more secular and offers protection to the Christians there.

[Eleutheria5]

Every time Syrian media and politicians call someone a “terrorist,” I laugh.