Wed Aug 1, 2012, 01:44 AM

cqo_000 (207 posts)

Syrian rebels acquire surface-to-air missiles: report

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Rebels fighting to depose Syrian president Bashar al Assad have for the first time acquired a small supply of surface-to-air missiles, according to a news report that a Western official did not dispute.

NBC News reported Tuesday night that the rebel Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen of the weapons, which were delivered to them via neighboring Turkey, whose moderate Islamist government has been demanding Assad's departure with increasing vehemence.

Precisely what kind of MANPADs have been delivered to Syrian rebels is unclear and NBC News did not provide details. Such weapons range from the primitive to highly sophisticated.

Many U.S. officials have been wary of the notion of arming Syrian rebels with MANPADs, noting that they could be easily turned on targets other than the Syrian government, including civilian airliners.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/31/us-usa-syria-missiles-idUSBRE86U1T920120731

14 replies, 2021 views

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14 replies	Author	Time	Post
Syrian rebels acquire surface-to-air missiles: report (Original post)	cqo_000	Aug 2012	OP
Yikes! That's all this situation needs, more sophisticated weaponry...	Rhiannon12866	Aug 2012	#1
Yeah, people fighting for freedom should be kept unarmed.	PavePusher	Aug 2012	#8
Gee, I wonder who gave them to the rebel's?	crimson77	Aug 2012	#2
It was obviously Turkey, which would do it with or without the US's permission	ButterflyBlood	Aug 2012	#5
They won't be traceable to Turkey.	Igel	Aug 2012	#9
If that's the case, you can say NATO supplied the weapons when the US first bombed	may3rd	Aug 2012	#14
Any Sunni Arab country that sees Iran as an enemy. nt	hack89	Aug 2012	#6
Now where would they get stuff like that in a pinch ?	may3rd	Aug 2012	#11
Every country in the region has them.	hack89	Aug 2012	#13
Just peachy add to that Assad is said to have chemical weapons	azurnoir	Aug 2012	#3
Now that's what I call.....	DeSwiss	Aug 2012	#4
Uh, which rebels? Giving missiles to Al Qaeda would seem to be self-defeating.	Comrade Grumpy	Aug 2012	#7
Yup, another really misleading story. WHO got these missiles?	riderinthestorm	Aug 2012	#10
They are giving to those that have been trained and know how to use it and	may3rd	Aug 2012	#12

Response to cqo_000 (Original post)

Wed Aug 1, 2012, 01:55 AM

Rhiannon12866 (55,045 posts)

1. Yikes! That's all this situation needs, more sophisticated weaponry...

The carnage has already been beyond belief.

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Response to Rhiannon12866 (Reply #1)

Wed Aug 1, 2012, 01:40 PM

PavePusher (15,374 posts)

8. Yeah, people fighting for freedom should be kept unarmed.

, indeed.

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Response to cqo_000 (Original post)

Wed Aug 1, 2012, 01:57 AM

crimson77 (305 posts)

2. Gee, I wonder who gave them to the rebel's?

I was on Obama and Europe's side on Libya, even when we didn't really know who we were dealing with. This Syrian problem is a whole diffrent ballgame. These rebels are most certainley not our friends, and should be treated as such.

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Response to crimson77 (Reply #2)

Wed Aug 1, 2012, 01:20 PM

ButterflyBlood (12,290 posts)

5. It was obviously Turkey, which would do it with or without the US's permission

Turkey is understandably furious at Assad after Syria shot down one of their jets and killed two of their pilots, and I've expected them to ramp up everything to get rid of him. They probably have covert special forces in Syria too.

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Response to ButterflyBlood (Reply #5)

Wed Aug 1, 2012, 03:43 PM

Igel (17,561 posts)

9. They won't be traceable to Turkey.

No NATO stock unless Turkey immediately reports them stolen.

Probably Libyan, supplied with Turkey's tacit permission. "Ah, looks like anti-aircraft weapons in this crate."

"They're zucchini. And tomato stakes. We want to make ratatouilli."

"Right. I stand corrected. Nice stock of ... zucchini. Good luck with the tomatoes and bon appetite. Carry on."

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Response to Igel (Reply #9)

Wed Aug 1, 2012, 07:51 PM

may3rd (593 posts)

14. If that's the case, you can say NATO supplied the weapons when the US first bombed

Libyan radar stations that cleared the way for special forces operations on the ground.

oh

It's not like nobody knew where the G man kept his shoulder fired weapons. Now they are everywhere looking for a cause to be used against

&

Article one, section eight

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Response to crimson77 (Reply #2)

Wed Aug 1, 2012, 01:22 PM

hack89 (21,312 posts)