Report: Britain Has Scrapped Plans to Arm Syria Rebels

Growing Public Opposition Led to Rethink

Sources familiar with the current British government say that initial plans to arm Syrian rebels, loudly championed by Prime Minister David Cameron, have been scrapped outright amid growing popular opposition.

“Britain is clearly not going to arm the rebels in any way, shape, or form,” noted one source quoted by Reuters, who pointed to parliament’s demand for prior consultation before any arms were sent.

Public concerns have centered around the rise of al-Qaeda-linked fighters to a position of dominance among the rebels, and fear that arms would eventually find their way to such groups and be used against targets in Europe afterwards.

Polls have shown similar concerns among American voters, though the US government appears to have ignored them and insists that it continues to plan to arm rebels, and may attack Syria outright.

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.