- Oct 7, 2011
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Armor-piercing guided weapons systems have made a dramatic increase in in Syria over the past several weeks, giving reeling rebel fighters an advantage against President Bashar Al-Assad’s loyalist army. The catch: The weapons are being supplied by multiple nations and some have already landed in the hands of Al Qaeda.
The anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), which are portable and can be shoulder or tripod mounted, set the stage for a possible shift in the war, especially in the upcoming months when U.S. and European aid is expected to increase, U.S. and Western intelligence officials told TheBlaze.
“It’s something that has allowed the rebels to sustain themselves,” said a U.S. official familiar with the weapons systems and supplies. “It’s been an important element in their arsenal in an effort to capture and hold their territory. Three months ago, the regime was taking over territory but in the past few weeks we are seeing a shift.”
Assad’s ground forces have been using tanks against civilian and rebel forces to gain and hold ground in areas heavily populated with opposition. So far, the United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 people have been killed in the past two years of the civil war and Assad’s forces have used chemical weapons against civilians. Although, Assad’s army also has ATGMs, they pose a minimal threat to the rebel ground forces, which don’t have tanks.
While helping the rebels, these weapons systems also are believed to be ending up in the hands of Al Qaeda affiliated groups like Al Nusra, a designated terrorist group that also is one of the strongest rebel factions fighting the Syrian loyalist army.
“The (ATGMs) introduction is helping the resistance groups in the fight, but Assad’s folks still outgun them heavily,” said Steven Bucci, former assistant secretary of defense under Donald Rumsfeld and senior defense analyst at The Heritage Foundation...
Read More:
Arming Al Qaeda: Anti-Tank Weapons Sent to Aid Syrian Rebels Landing in Hands of Extremists, Experts Say | TheBlaze.com
The anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), which are portable and can be shoulder or tripod mounted, set the stage for a possible shift in the war, especially in the upcoming months when U.S. and European aid is expected to increase, U.S. and Western intelligence officials told TheBlaze.
“It’s something that has allowed the rebels to sustain themselves,” said a U.S. official familiar with the weapons systems and supplies. “It’s been an important element in their arsenal in an effort to capture and hold their territory. Three months ago, the regime was taking over territory but in the past few weeks we are seeing a shift.”
Assad’s ground forces have been using tanks against civilian and rebel forces to gain and hold ground in areas heavily populated with opposition. So far, the United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 people have been killed in the past two years of the civil war and Assad’s forces have used chemical weapons against civilians. Although, Assad’s army also has ATGMs, they pose a minimal threat to the rebel ground forces, which don’t have tanks.
While helping the rebels, these weapons systems also are believed to be ending up in the hands of Al Qaeda affiliated groups like Al Nusra, a designated terrorist group that also is one of the strongest rebel factions fighting the Syrian loyalist army.
“The (ATGMs) introduction is helping the resistance groups in the fight, but Assad’s folks still outgun them heavily,” said Steven Bucci, former assistant secretary of defense under Donald Rumsfeld and senior defense analyst at The Heritage Foundation...
Read More:
Arming Al Qaeda: Anti-Tank Weapons Sent to Aid Syrian Rebels Landing in Hands of Extremists, Experts Say | TheBlaze.com
