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Al-Qaeda's Syrian Cell Bigger Threat to U.S. than ISIS?

(AP) Ken Dilanian and Eileen Sullivan - While the Islamic State is getting the most attention now, another band of extremists in Syria - a mix of jihadis from Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Europe - poses a more imminent threat to the U.S., working with Yemeni bomb-makers to target U.S. aviation, American officials say. At the center is the Khorasan group, a cadre of veteran al-Qaeda fighters who linked up with the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front. The Khorasan militants did not go to Syria principally to fight Assad, U.S. officials say. Instead, they were sent by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to recruit Europeans and Americans whose passports allow them to board a U.S.-bound airliner with less scrutiny.
2014-09-15 00:00:00
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