On May 18, 2015 the US nonprofit watchdog group Judicial Watch published a selection of documents reveling that US intelligence had predicted the rise of ISIS and saw it as their own tool for regime change in Syria.
Judicial Watch obtained the documents from the US Department of Defense (DOD) and the US State Department through a federal lawsuit.
“THE WEST, GULF COUNTRIES, AND TURKEY [WHO] SUPPORT THE [SYRIAN] OPPOSITION… THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A DECLARED OR UNDECLARED SALAFIST PRINCIPALITY IN EASTERN SYRIA (HASAKA AND DER ZOR), AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE SUPPORTING POWERS TO THE OPPOSITION WANT, IN ORDER TO ISOLATE THE SYRIAN REGIME…,” the document dated August 12, 2012 reads.
The document stressed that the opposition in Syria led by al Qaeda and other extremist groups could have “dire consequences” for Iraq and the “grave danger” of the rise of ISIS:
“This creates the ideal atmosphere for AQI [al Qaeda Iraq] to return to its old pockets in Mosul and Ramadi, and will provide a renewed momentum under the presumption of unifying the jihad among Sunni Iraq and Syria, and the rest of the Sunnis in the Arab world against what it considers one enemy, the dissenters. ISI could also declare an Islamic state through its union with other terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria, which will create grave danger in regards to unifying Iraq and the protection of its territory.”
A document from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) dated September 12, 2012 revealed that the US DOD had “immediately reported” that the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya had been carried out by al Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood-linked “Brigades of the Captive Omar Abdul Rahman” (BCOAR), and had been planned “at least 10 days in advance”.
According to the DIA report “the leader of BCOAR is Abdul Baset ((AZUZ)), AZUZ was sent by ((ZAWARI)) to set up Al Qaeda (AQ) bases in Libya.”
The documents also pointed out that US President Obama’s administration had known that weapons had been shipped “from the Port of Benghazi” to rebel troops in Syria. A report of October 2012 announced:
“Weapons from the former Libya military stockpiles were shipped from the port of Benghazi, Libya to the Port of Banias and the Port of Borj Islam, Syria. The weapons shipped during late-August 2012 were Sniper rifles, RPG’s, and 125 mm and 155mm howitzers missiles.”
“These documents also point to connection between the collapse in Libya and the ISIS war – and confirm that the U.S. knew remarkable details about the transfer of arms from Benghazi to Syrian jihadists,” stated Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton.
In September 2012, a coordinated attack against two US government facilities occurred in Benghazi, Libya. On September 11, members of Ansar al-Sharia Islamic militant group attacked a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi resulting in the deaths of US Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and US Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith. On September 12, the group launched a mortar attack against a CIA annex, killing CIA contractors Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty and wounding ten others.
