Independent unveils scale of western military aid to terrorists in Syria

The Independent revealed the volume of the western military aid sent to the terrorist groups in Syria, based on documents obtained by the British newspaper and extensive talks on the ground. In an article published recently, The Independent said the British Government is considering sending weapons to what it described as "moderate rebel fighters", arguing that "a failure to do so would not only further empower President Assad but also weaken future potential western allies." However, the newspaper pointed out that the bulk of the arms that get into opposition areas in Syria go to Sunni extremist rebels, courtesy of wealthy benefactors in the Persian Gulf, especially Qatar." "So far the UK has sent around £8m of aid, comprising five 4x4 vehicles with ballistic protection, 20 sets of body armor, four trucks (three 25 ton, one 20 ton), six 4x4 SUVs, five non-armored pick-ups, one recovery vehicle, four fork-lifts, three advanced "resilience kits" for region hubs, designed to rescue operations, 130 solar powered batteries, around 400 radios," The Independent revealed, according to official papers seen by it. The newspaper stressed that the role of France was instrumental, alongside the UK, in lifting the European Union arms embargo on Syria which would allow supplies to be sent to the terrorist groups there. It however indicated fears on France's part as "Last month Foreign minister Laurent Fabius stated that it would not be possible to send weapons as they may fall into the wrong hands and end up being used against France." According to the article, French fears are informed by the country’s experiences during the recent intervention in Mali, when French forces encountered surface-to-air missiles that had been looted from Libya. The newspaper said that France had provided around 40 tons of weapons to Libya in preparation for the assault on Tripoli, adding that a number of terrorists' leaders in Syria admitted that these weapons, including assault rifles, pistols and ammunition, have already arrived to the gunmen in Syria. "There is some evidence, however, of quantities of missiles arriving in Syria for the opposition, some of them apparently obtained from Croatia in a shipment organized by the Americans and paid for by Persian Gulf states earlier this year. More recently the rebels have also used Konkurs wire-guided anti-tank missiles from former Warsaw Pact arsenals, while 82mm recoil-less rifles have been deployed in recent gains near Lattakia," the newspaper said. It added that the missiles are largely in the hands of extremist groups such as al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, stressing that the extremists' increasing power is now a direct threat.