Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
Apr 26, 2014, al Akhbar
New evidence suggests that the United States may be secretly giving American-made “heavy weapons” to militant groups fighting against the Syrian government, according to a new report.
A video clip posted on YouTube early in April showed US-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank rocket systems in the hands of a militant group in Syria.
While it is not confirmed how the insurgents procured the weapons, The Daily Beast reports that the US could have directly provided the weapons or they could have reached Syria indirectly from Saudi Arabia, a US ally that heavily supports and funds anti-Assad forces.
Such powerful new weapons in the hands of militants, the report says, indicates that the United States might be preparing to send in or sponsor more advanced weapons in an effort to turn the tide of the conflict against President Bashar al-Assad.
The NPR also reports that the CIA is ramping up military and training assistance to what Washington calls “moderate” militant factions in Syria. 50 TOW missile systems have already been shipped in as a part of a “test” or pilot program, the report says.
National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan refused to deny the shipment of heavy arms into Syria. “As we have consistently said, we are not going to detail every single type of our assistance,” Meehan said.
Opponents of sending heavy weapons to militant groups fear that similar to anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan in the 1980’s, the insurgents in Syria might take their weapons outside the Arab country and use them against US interests in the region.
