This is a tacit admission that the U.S. can’t find enough “moderates” to do the job against the Islamic State, even after spending $500 million to create a “moderate” fighting force. This is an effective admission that not only the Administration’s entire strategy of dealing with the Islamic State, but its entire diagnosis of the jihad threat, is wrongheaded. Even to suggest this, moreover, demonstrates that Petraeus is entirely clueless about what al-Qaeda is all about, what the global jihad is all about, and how to deal with both.
“Petraeus: Use Al Qaeda Fighters to Beat ISIS,” by Shane Harris and Nancy A. Youssef, Daily Beast, August 31, 2015:
To take down the so-called Islamic State in Syria, the influential former head of the CIA wants to co-opt jihadists from America’s arch foe.
Members of al Qaeda’s branch in Syria have a surprising advocate in the corridors of American power: retired Army general and former CIA Director David Petraeus.
The former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan has been quietly urging U.S. officials to consider using so-called moderate members of al Qaeda’s Nusra Front to fight ISIS in Syria, four sources familiar with the conversations, including one person who spoke to Petraeus directly, told The Daily Beast.
The heart of the idea stems from Petraeus’s experience in Iraq in 2007, when as part of a broader strategy to defeat an Islamist insurgency the U.S. persuaded Sunni militias to stop fighting with al Qaeda and to work with the American military.
The tactic worked, at least temporarily. But al Qaeda in Iraq was later reborn as ISIS, and has become the sworn enemy of its parent organization. Now, Petraeus is returning to his old play, advocating a strategy of co-opting rank-and-file members of al Nusra, particularly those who don’t necessarily share all of core al Qaeda’s Islamist philosophy.
However, Petraeus’s play, if executed, could be enormously controversial. The American war on terror began with an al Qaeda attack on 9/11, of course. The idea that the U.S. would, 14 years later, work with elements of al Qaeda’s Syrian branch was an irony too tough to stomach for most U.S. officials interviewed by The Daily Beast. They found Petraeus’s notion politically toxic, near-impossible to execute, and strategically risky.
It would also face enormous legal and security obstacles. In 2012, the Obama administration designated al Nusra a foreign terrorist organization. And last year, the president ordered airstrikes on al Nusra positions housing members of the Khorasan Group, an al Qaeda cadre that was trying to recruit jihadists with Western passports to smuggle bombs onto civilian airliners.
Yet Petraeus and his plan cannot be written off. He still wields considerable influence with current officials, U.S. lawmakers, and foreign leaders. The fact that he feels comfortable recruiting defectors from an organization that has declared war on the United States underscores the tenuous nature of the Obama administration’s strategy to fight ISIS, which numerous observers have said is floundering in search of a viable ground force.
According to those familiar with Petraeus’s thinking, he advocates trying to cleave off less extreme al Nusra fighters, who are battling ISIS in Syria, but who joined with al Nusra because of their shared goal of overthrowing Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
Petraeus was the CIA director in early 2011 when the Syrian civil war erupted. At the time, he along with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reportedly urged the Obama administration to work with moderate opposition forces. The U.S. didn’t, and many of those groups have since steered toward jihadist groups like the Nusra Front, which are better equipped and have had more success on the battlefield.
How precisely the U.S. would separate moderate fighters from core members and leaders of al Nusra is unclear, and Petraeus has yet to fully detail any recommendations he might have.
Petraeus declined a request to comment on his views from The Daily Beast.
“This is an acknowledgment that the U.S. stated goal to degrade and destroy ISIS is not working. If it were, we would not be talking to these not quite foreign terrorist groups,” Christopher Harmer, a senior naval analyst with the Middle East Security Project at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War, told The Daily Beast. “Strategically, it is desperate.”…
Yep.

mortimer says
It’s an admission that Muslims can only be motivated to fight by calling warfare ‘jihad’. Other than that, they will only fight for their own tribe. Muslims will fight to impose Islam (jihad is holy fighting in the cause of Allah), but they will not fight for what they consider an artificially created state such as Iraq. The Shi’ites in Iraq want a genocide against all of Saddam’s tribesmen.
williambonney says
These Americans are getting more stupid every day, pouring billions into this muslim countries and getting nothing in return , the arabs are laughing at them, after 8 years of training iraqs they put 60 soldiers in the field — hello and then most of them got so-called kidnapped the first day in the field ????? so now they are turning to the terrorist to retrain them to fight their brothers in arms – Hello .
williambonney says
How stupid are these American generals , for eight years or more they have been trying to train Iraq soldiers , they finally got 60 in the field and the first night they got so-called kidnapped, – Hello, the yankess have gave out billions in cash to muslims and got nothing in return, know they want to hire some terrorist and re train them to kill their brother in arms – Hello
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
So Petraeus can’t corral a herd of Unicorns big enough to stampede the New Caliphs in Raqqah. Shame.
If his plan for an al-Qaeda alliance doesn’t work out, maybe ex-General David can resurrect his ROE program from the days of yore, you know, when he had his troops serve as bomb-bait driving around in Humvees waiting to get blown up from underneath or maybe take an RPG from the side. Petraeus is well respected for his military acumen in Washington, which is all you need to know about the state of affairs in the Pentagon.
The concept of SNAFU hasn’t changed since its inception during WWII.
Brian says
“retired Army general and former CIA Director David Petraeus.” DISGRACED former …
This idea is on par with loosing rattlesnakes to hunt cobras so women & children will be safe.
jihad3tracker says
May I suggest a more intelligent guy who knew effective counter-supremacist strategy — Goucho Marx in the movie spoofing war — was it “Duck Soup” ?
Find a Youtube clip when depression about Petraeaus’s idiotic cluelessness gets you down and reaching to a decanter of single malt or amontillado.
mortimer says
The Shi’ites and Sunni Muslims need their own little berzerkistans. Look at the Arabian Peninsula…no wars…little independent states with tribal dictators with absolute power. Mixing doesn’t work for Muslims. Divide them all up into small groups and they won’t be big enough to start trouble and spread it to their neighbors.
gravenimage says
Unfortunately, a single Muslim is enough to start trouble, Mortimer–just look at all those “lone wolves”…
Carlos Danger says
What’s General Petraeus smoking?
Oh, and what happened to the $500,000,000 that Uncle Stupid has shelled out for the handful of pathetic wankers who have already been neutralized by the Caliph’s merry men?
time for some transparency, Mr. Obama.
Angemon says
Let’s see if I can follow the “logic” here: the best way to fight ISIS, an enemy who declared war on the US, is to support al-Qaeda, another enemy who declared war on the US AND is responsible for the deaths of nearly 3.000 American citizens in American soil, despite both organizations sharing the same goal and differ only in methods and degree of success.
Heck, what could possibly go wrong?
Peggy says
The US has already backed the Taliban once and see how well that turned out.
It look like becoming a General in the US is not hard at all.
Don McKellar says
CALLING DR. STRANGELOVE! CALLING DR. STRANGELOVE!
gravenimage says
Petraeus: Use al-Qaeda jihadis to defeat the Islamic State
……………………….
Did anyone suggest during the rise of Nazism that we use the Brown Shirts to defeat the Black Shirts?
We can all imagine how well *that* would have worked out…
Godwin says
He wants to give weapons n money to al Qaeda with the blessings of OBama n it then join ISIS to fight America. He as a general with a big Pipe Dream. Dream on………
Custos Custodum says
OK – this is the guy who as CIA director thought that swapping Gmail drafts with his mistress would defeat the combined snooping abilities of the CIA, NSA and DIA, aka as “Einstein” Petraeus.
Hey Einstein – ever heard of “blow-back”?
Matthieu Baudin says
Such a strategy would bring back the ghost of Jihadi indoctrination and training that was part of the cold war push to jettison the Soviets from Afghanistan. If David Petraeus wants to sleep with the devil let him sleep alone; don’t drag us all into such a sordid arrangement with criminals we can never trust. He may as well come up with the indigestible suggestion that we enter into a formal alliance with the Islamic Republic of Iran in a war to defeat ISIS.
Baucent says
Petraeus was a good general, but he is not a good strategist when it comes to Jihadism, something quite different to what he faced in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite once being CIA chief, he is not an expert on Islam and the ideology that drive the Jihad and any plan to recruit al-Nusra will bound to lead in failure, after they have taken the money. We know these groups operate on tribal basis and members often change their colours rather like players in a sports team transfer to other teams. Undoubtedly some al-Nusra now support IS and some IS jihadi are now in FSA and al-Nursa. Almost impossible to be sure anyone is a “moderate” muslim these days.
duh_swami says
‘Lets you and him fight…Using Al-Qaeda to fight for kuffar is a pipe dream right from the opium den, which is already crowded with useful idiots…,.. Giving aid and comfort to the enemy is treason…
Sam says
Is humanity going REAL nuts? The only way we can beat ISIS and Iran and the rest of the cult Islam for a Ronald Reagan to say “ISLAM IS EVIL”. We then have a plan of getting rid off ISLAM in America first and then have a strategy to wipe off Islam from the face of the earth. Until such time Islam will keep on winning.
Daniel says
Stupidity and obfuscation runs rampant in the Obama cult. You have millions of refugees from Jordan to Europe who could be recruited by providing them enough income and a safe place to take care of their families and enough training to survive in a combat environment. Instead Petraeus wants to recruit the shite enemies of the sunni (muslim brotherhood) ISIS. If they win they will be beholden to Iran not the U,S.
Obama slapped Petraeus down when he didn’t follow Obamas game plan. Obama has retired hundreds of our most experienced Generals and Admirals and promoted those like Petraeus who are willing to fire on American citizens. Organizing for America has 20 million individuals for Obama. If only 10% are radical you have a force of 2 million to do his bidding. He has refused to turn over this list of names to the DNC.
His orders to the NSA to not record mosques and muslims phone calls, emails, and social accounts makes of us very vulnerable. He assumes he will control much of the government after leaving office. All these things and anyone who supports his agenda must be eliminated from the government.