It is the rise of these jihadists that has compelled Syria 's secularists and religious minorities , who at the beginning of the uprising in 2011 had marched alongside the opposition , to return to al-Assad 's fold . Kapil Komireddi : If U.S. engages in Syria over chemical weapons , it could be in for the long haul . He says rebels -- now including jihadists -- have long tried to draw outside forces to cause . He says opposition will know that use of chemical weapons works to its advantage . Komireddi : The United States has been reluctant to get involved militarily because they don't want to see a repeat of Libya where foreign intervention led to chaos and civil war.
Kapil Komireddi : If U.S. engages in Syria over chemical weapons , it could be in for the long haul . He says rebels -- now including jihadists -- have long tried to draw outside forces to cause . He says opposition will know that use of chemical weapons works to its advantage . Komireddi : The United States has been reluctant to get involved militarily because they don't want to see a repeat of Libya where foreign intervention led to chaos and civil war.