After months of the US assisting weapons smuggling to rebels in Syria but also trying to keep anti-aircraft missiles out of the country, the US-backed rebels in the south, including Ansar al-Islam forces have issued a video of their fighters parading around with anti-aircraft weapons.
The weapons shown in the video were 9k32 Strela-2 missiles, a Soviet design from the late 1960s which remains a popular shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missile across the world. It is unclear where the rebels got them, but they claimed to have a “good number” of them.
Saudi Arabia has been keen to get anti-aircraft missiles into the hands of rebels for years, but had so far been blocked by the US. It is possible they were finally able to do so, and while the Saudis aren’t themselves users of that particular design of missiles, they are common enough on the export market.
The rebels say the missiles will be used to counter Syrian warplanes in southern areas around Daraa, though the inevitable concern is that the rebels will also end up using them against civilian airliners. This risk has been one of the main reasons why the Obama Administration has tried to keep nations from importing such weapons.
And, when they inevitably use them to shoot down European or American airliners, NATO will say it’s Russia’s fault for not allowing Assad to be overthrown, thus reluctantly *compelling* the West to give the jihadi cannibals the missiles.
I think its time to light up Riyadh.
I don’t like the Saudis one bit, but we’ve had enough wars in the region. Don’t “light up” anyone else.
except Obama
I suppose we couid use the same logic that the US used in Ukraine, the Russians made that sort of missile didnt matter that Ukraine had 1000 missiles of that design and had left the launcher system in Donetz so the Russians must have sold it to the Terrorists just so they could shoot down Russian aircraft!
Of course Obama OK’d this – it’s just his style. Double down, the first black president cannot lose.
Yes he did. Obama was a very evil man. He has a lot of blood on his hands and shoes. I will remember him as The Great Deceiver. He worked for Satan.
Trump very possibly make America great again, but only if he ends America’s lust for war. I believe this: Trump and Putin are going to end the Cold War. They will team up as allies to neutralize the Obama/Mossad creation called ISIS. Trump will put America 1st, 2nd and 3rd.