‘American’ fighter vows death to Assad

A video of an unidentified man purported to be an American fighting in Syria surfaced on the Internet recently, in which the man threatens to kill Syrian President Bashar Assad whether or not he abdicates.

The clip, aired on YouTube and a variety of other websites, identified the man as an “American mujahid” who was surrounded by his Syrian compatriots. He addressed the camera in English with an American accent. It did not identify the speaker, nor did it indicate where he was from.

“Bashar Assad, your days are numbered,” he said. “You are going down in flames. You should just quit now, while you can, and leave. You are going to die, no matter what. Where you go we will find you and kill you. Do you understand?”

Referring to militias loyal to the Assad regime, the speaker said the “shabiha is [sic] going to die also with you, no matter what.”

The Times of Israel could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

It is not clear how many Americans are fighting in the civil war against Assad, but the speaker in the video would not be the only one fighting alongside the Free Syrian Army. Matthew VanDyke, a self-proclaimed freedom fighter, participated in the uprising against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, then fought in Syria before returning to the United States.

The BBC also reported on two Syrian-American brothers who returned to Syria to fight against the Assad regime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SEdheC8Yq4