Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
May 29, 2014, Press TV
US President Barack Obama has vowed to increase assistance for the foreign-backed militants fighting against the Syrian government and people.
In the commencement address at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, on Wednesday, Obama said he will work with Congress to “ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and brutal dictators.”
He also said that Washington will use military force unilaterally when its core interests demand.
The announcement came amid reports that Washington plans to start military training of militants in a secret base in Qatar to attack Syrian government troops and vehicles.
According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, US troops will train selected insurgents of the so-called Free Syrian Army.
“The president will make clear his intention to expand our support to the moderate Syrian operation and increase our support to Syria’s neighbors, who are dealing with the terrorist threats emanating from the situation Assad has created in Syria,” the Journal quoted a senior administration official as saying.
Washington and its allies have been supporting and funding the insurgency against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2011.
Since then, the US has provided the insurgents with aid worth of nearly $300 million so far. The country has recently given TOW anti-tank missiles to the Free Syrian Army.
Opposition leaders have been lobbying Washington to provide moderate fighters with more powerful weapons, including antiaircraft missile launchers, so they can take out Assad’s helicopters and attack planes.
Reports have shown that the Central Intelligence Agency is covertly training foreign-sponsored Syrian militants in neighboring Jordan.
