The recent relocation of al Qaeda militants to Syria has experts concerned that the country may be used to launch attacks on Europe and the United States.
Numerous al Qaeda operatives and mid-level planners have joined the jihad in Syria, many escaping from drone strikes in Pakistan, according to the New York Times. This trend has raised concerns in the intelligence community that Syria may become a launching pad for the terror group's attacks against the West. If this occurs, it will be the first time al Qaeda’s central command has set up a branch dedicating to planning and conducting attacks against the West outside of Pakistan.
The Times reports:
"A key question, however, is how using Syria as a launching pad to strike the West fits into Zawahri’s overall strategy, and if he’s soft-pedaling now, hoping to consolidate al Qaeda’s position for the future," said one American counterterrorism official. "Clearly, there is going to be push and pull between local operatives and al Qaeda central on attack planning. How fast the pendulum will swing toward trying something isn’t clear right now."
The new assessment is not likely to change American policy toward Syria any time soon, but it puts pressure on the Obama administration and its allies because it raises the possibility that Syria could become the next Afghanistan.