Ex-CIA chief wants US to rope in al-Qaeda to take on ISIS

A former top military general who headed the CIA has suggested to the Obama Administration to rope in jihadists from al-Qaeda to take on the dreaded ISIS which has threatened America with another 9/11-style attack.

The heart of the controversial idea stems from former commander of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and ex-CIA Director David Petraeus’ experience in Iraq in 2007, when the US persuaded Sunni militias to stop fighting with al-Qaeda and to work with the American military, The Daily Beast reported.

The tactic worked, at least temporarily in Iraq. The Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) was later reborn as <g data-gr-id="20">ISIS,</g> and has become the sworn enemy of its parent organisation. Al-Qaeda has distanced itself from the ISIS, chiding it for its lack of teamwork in its aggressive, brutal expansion.

Citing sources familiar with the conversations, including one person who directly spoke to Petraeus, the report said the <g data-gr-id="23">age</g> general is returning to his old play, advocating a strategy of co-opting rank-and-file members of al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch al Nusra Front, particularly those who don?t necessarily share all of core group’s Islamist philosophy.

According to those familiar with Petraeus’ thinking, he advocates trying to cleave off less extreme al-Nusra fighters, who are battling ISIS in Syria, but who joined the group because of their shared goal of overthrowing Syrian regime.

However, Petraeus’ plan, if executed, could be enormously controversial, the report said, noting that the American war on terror began with an al-Qaeda attack  on 9/11.