A Syrian National Coalition source said Western nations are now signaling that they may prefer the Assad regime to remain for a transitional period in order to avoid possible chaos and an Islamist takeover. The Islamic Front denied reports it was meeting with the US ambassador; an Islamic Front official claimed that the group will not fight against al Qaeda. The Al Nusrah Front and rebels are besieging the Aleppo Central Prison area. Gunmen assassinated a leader of the al Tawhid brigade near Anadan in Aleppo. The OPCW said it was possible that the Dec. 31 deadline for moving all of Syria’s chemical weapons out of the country may not be met, due to poor security. A study by a British research group reported that up to 11,000 fighters from over 70 nations have traveled to Syria since late 2011 to battle the Assad regime, and that of the 20 percent whose affiliation is known, most have joined the Al Nusrah Front or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham.
