Syria militants asks Arabs for 'sophisticated' arms amid opposition defeats

Syria militants asks Arabs for 'sophisticated' arms amid opposition defeats
Wed Mar 26, 2014 08:37:20

Syria's opposition chief has urged Arab leaders to pressure the international community to supply rebels with "sophisticated" weapons to reduce suffering of recent defeats in war against the Syrian army.

Addressing the Arab summit in Kuwait on Tuesday, chief of the so-called Syrain National Coalition Ahmed Jarba also urged Arabs to give Syria's Arab League seat to the opposition and hand them Syria's embassies worldwide.

Jarba called on Arab leaders to "pressure the international community to commit to its promises to supply sophisticated weapons to our revolutionaries".

Saudi Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Abdulaziz, whose country is a major supporter of militant and terrorist groups fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, also accused the world of "betraying" the so-called Syrian opposition by failing to arm them.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly agreed to provide foreign-backed militant groups in Syria with advanced weaponry.

Citing Western and Arab diplomats as well as foreign-backed Syrian opposition sources, the Wall Street Journal has said that the weapons include anti-aircraft shoulder-fired missiles.

“Saudi Arabia has offered to give the opposition for the first time Chinese man-portable air defense systems, or Manpads, and antitank guided missiles from Russia,” the journal reported.

A Western diplomat with knowledge of the weapons deliveries told the journal that “new stuff is arriving imminently.”

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Some sources say over 140,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

BA/BA

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