US arms could turn Syria into next Somalia: FSA
US arms could turn Syria into next Somalia: FSA
The head of the so-called Free Syrian Army has warned that the US arms supplies to militants in Syria could turn the Arab country into the next Somalia.
In an interview with Reuters published on Monday, Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir accused Washington of bypassing the FSA and sending weapons directly to foreign-backed militant groups.
The 56-year-old, who became the group’s chief in March, said the move could turn the leaders of militant battalions into Afghan- or Somali-like warlords who would be difficult to control in the future.
"The Americans are leading the distribution of weapons on the northern front and in the southern front. We demand that we be responsible," Bashir said.
"Providing support to individual battalions could turn the commanders of these battalions into warlords and they will be difficult to control in future," he added.
"This could turn Syria into Afghanistan or Somalia," Bashir noted.
His remarks echoed the recent observation of former UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, in which he also compared Syria to Afghanistan and Somalia.
The State Department responded to Bashir's complaints by saying that military aid is being delivered to “moderate” militant groups.
US President Barack Obama’s national security advisor, Susan Rice, recently acknowledged that the United States is providing lethal aid to the militants.
“The United States has ramped up its support for the moderate vetted opposition, providing lethal and non-lethal support where we can to support both the civilian opposition and the military opposition,” Rice said on Friday.
The Obama administration, which has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the insurgents, has said it is working with Congress on ramping up support for the foreign-sponsored militants in Syria.
The United States is providing antitank weapons, such as BGM-71 TOW (Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided) missiles, to Syrian militants as the government of President Bashar al-Assad is set to beat the three-year-old deadly insurgency, according to a new report.
The sophisticated missiles are designed to destroy tanks and blow up reinforced bunkers.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Over 160,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by the militants.
According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
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http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/06/10/366294/us-arms-could-turn-syria-into-somalia/