Madness.

The U.S. will provide small arms and ammunition to the
Syrian opposition amid recent battlefield setbacks by rebels and after saying it confirmed that Bashar al-Assad’s forces used chemical weapons in the civil war.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-14/u-s-backs-syrian-rebel-military-aid-as-chemicals-used.html

BEIRUT — A Syrian rebel group's pledge of allegiance to al-Qaeda's replacement for Osama bin Laden suggests that the terrorist group's influence is not waning and that it may take a greater role in the Western-backed fight to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/04/11/syria-al-qaeda-connection/2075323/