WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. officials fear Syria could replace Pakistan as a gathering place for Islamist terrorists.
The Los Angeles Times, citing unidentified officials with knowledge of U.S. intelligence operations, reported that those fears have increased since the al-Nusra Front, a group affiliated with al-Qaida, took control of a border crossing between Syria and Jordan.
One official told the Times Syria could be more problematic than Pakistan or Afghanistan if it becomes a terrorist haven. The official cited the civil war-wracked country's "close proximity to strategic U.S. interests, ease of travel to Europe, and the availability of advanced conventional and non-conventional weapons."
The possibility that chemical weapons could fall into the hands of groups such as al-Nusra has given new urgency to the drive to destroy the Syrian government's stockpile, officials said.
