Cameron Challenged on Claim of 70,000 Moderate Syrian Fighters

Even Other Conservatives Wonder Where 'Magical' Rebels Are

Angling for parliamentary approval to join the war in Syria, British Prime Minister David Cameron is taking considerable fire from all sides over the claim that there are 70,000 rebel fighters not associated with any “extremist” faction who would eagerly ally with Britain should it become involved.

Cameron’s claim was scorned not only by the opposition Labour Party, but by his own Conservative allies, with one MP mockingly demanding Cameron show him the “magical” 70,000 rebels who are also moderates.

Cameron is claiming that there is secret intelligence to back up those numbers, though without that he’s likely to face major resistance in getting the vote through parliament.

Britain is fighting ISIS inside Iraq, but the resolution that allows them to do so explicitly forbids going into Syria without a subsequent bill. Despite this, Britain has launched strikes in Syria under the guise of “embedding” with Canadian forces who were operating there.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.