ISIL ‘blowback’ of US policies in region, says Former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk

Former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk says ISIL is blowback of US policies after aiding the terror network for “strategic goals” in the region.

“I do believe the overall turmoil in the region has led to a lot of contradictions in American policy and to what was called initially in Afghanistan “blowback,” that is you help the fire that you think is in harmony with your political goals and it turns out they are the most extreme enemies,” Falk, an American professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, said in an exclusive interview with Press TV on Tuesday.

“The most celebrated example of this is the help that was given to Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda in the context of the Cold War where the primary enemy was seen as communism and Russian influence and only later it was realized that extremist elements in the Islamic anti-communist movement turned out to be also anti-Western and anti-American,” he added.

“I think the ISIS, to the extent that I understand, and its emerging activities, is another extreme example of this blowback phenomena, seen to be helpful to American strategic goals at one point in time probably in relation to Syria … turns out to be a very dangerous political phenomenon from the point of view of Americans,” Falk continued.

New reports published on Monday said that ISIL terrorists appear to be using captured US military weapons supplied to “moderate rebels” in Syria by Saudi Arabia.

London-based small-arms research organization Conflict Armament Research has documented “significant quantities” of US-made small arms seized by Kurdish forces from ISIL militants including M16 assault rifles and included photos showing the markings “Property of US Govt.”

When asked about the eventual fate of the terrorist group, Falk said there would be no happy ending.

“It’s difficult to envision a happy ending to all of this intense conflict, that overlaps national boundaries and certainly involves Syria and Iraq but also Turkey, Lebanon,” and other parts of the region, he said.

“Qatar also seems to have been sponsors of ISIS at its early stage but now appear to be part of the anti-ISIS coalition.”