Gen. Martin Dempsey, head of the Joint Chiefs, said the Syrian conflict has become a regional one “that stretches from Beirut to Damascus to Baghdad” and will not be resolved quickly or easily. He said the US is looking for ways to help bolster Jordanian defenses. Shelton Thomas Bell, 19, of Jacksonville, Fla., pled not guilty to charges relating to his jihadist activities, which included training and traveling with a juvenile to the Middle East last year to join al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
