Militants in Syria ask West for tanks, warplanes

Militants in Syria ask West for tanks, warplanes
Mon Jun 17, 2013 17:44:39

A representative of the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) says the militant group will ask for tanks, warplanes and other heavy weapons during an upcoming meeting with US and Western officials in Turkey.

“We are going to ask them directly and clearly that we need tanks and the air jets, all weapons that they can offer us,” FSA political coordinator Louay Meqdad said during an interview with Reuters.

“International community should use all their power because we need help,” the foreign backed terrorist group’s political coordinator said.

However Meqdad did not reveal the date of the planned meeting.

On June 14, US President Barack Obama ordered his administration to provide the militants in Syria with weapons, which include assault rifles, shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles.

The delivery of the weapons would be carried out through the CIA spy agency, reports say.

The transfer will be conducted via confidential military bases in Turkey and Jordan - centers initially intended to give non-military aid to Syrians.

Russia and the United Nations have criticized the US decision to arm the militants in Syria. Moscow has warned that the move “risks escalating (violence) in the region.”

The United States has also claimed that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against the militants, but Damascus has categorically rejected the allegation as “lies.”

In recent weeks, the foreign-backed Takfiri militants have suffered heavy losses and lost control of the strategic town of Qusayr, which was brought under the control of the Syrian army with the help of Lebanon’s Hezbollah Resistance group.

Syrian forces have also started an all-out operation to regain full control of the northwestern city of Aleppo.

Foreign-sponsored militancy in Syria has taken its toll on the lives of many people, including large numbers of Syrian soldiers and security personnel, since the turmoil erupted in March 2011.

In May, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said militants from as many as 29 different countries were fighting against the government in different parts of the country.

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