US says arms for Syrian insurgents could help Al-Qaeda

WASHINGTON: The White House said Tuesday that Al-Qaeda's efforts to take advantage of violence in Syria mean it is no time to send arms to opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"Without getting into assessments of our intelligence capabilities, I would simply say that we are aware of the fact that Al-Qaeda and other extremists are seeking to take advantage of the situation created by Assad's brutal assault on the opposition," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri recently expressed support for the Syrian rebels.

Carney said Al-Qaeda is merely trying to create an image "that they are on the side of greater freedom and democracy for the people of the region - in this case, of Syria."

However, the idea that Al-Qaeda advocates freedom and democracy is "contrary to their history, their rhetoric, their reason for being," he said.

Carney acknowledged the United States lacked complete information about Al-Qaeda's activities when he said, "It's not clear right now the extent to which Al-Qaeda extremists are working with the Syrian opposition." (AFP)