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Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that the United States is backing Al-Qaeda to help the Syrian opposition to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's government. During an interview aired on Russian television, Putin asserted that 'some people want to use militants from al Qaeda... to accomplish their goals in Syria.' According to ABC News, in a loosely veiled dig at the U.S. support for Syria's opposition, Putin argued, 'in that case, one should unlock Guantanamo, arm all of its inmates and bring them to Syria to do the fighting'. Putin did not elaborate, but he implied that America, the West, and their allies in the Middle East are backing violent Islamic extremists in Syria. Some militants suspected to be from al-Qaeda have reportedly joined the armed Syrian rebel groups. According to the report, some of those men could be eager to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in Syria after the fall of Assad's regime.

Putin alleges US is backing Al-Qaeda in Syria to overthrow Assad