Al-Qaida suspected in regime bombing

WASHINGTON (AP):

Top United States intelligence officials told Congress yesterday that al-Qaida of Iraq was likely behind a series of bombings against the Syrian regime in recent months.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said bombings against security and intelligence targets in Damascus and Aleppo bear "all the earmarks of an al-Qaida-like attack", leading the US intelligence community to believe the Iraqi militant branch is extending its reach into Syria. Al-Qaida of Iraq is one of al-Qaida's largest regional affiliates.

He added that Syrian opposition groups may have been infiltrated by al-Qaida, likely without their knowledge. Clapper said the lack of a unified opposition group could leave a power vacuum that extremists could fill if the Syrian government falls, a potential development he called "troubling", because Syria has an extensive network of chemical weapons sites.

Defense Intelligence Agency chief Lt Gen Ronald Burgess added that it appears "the al-Qaida-like attacks" were likely caused by elements already inside the country, and that the US intelligence community had not yet detected "a clarion call to outsiders" to join the cause.

He made no mention of the video released by core al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri over the weekend, calling on Muslims to support Syrian rebels.

The officials also told Congress that if Iran is attacked over its alleged nuclear weapons program, it could respond by closing the Strait of Hormuz to ships and launch missiles at regional US forces and allies.