The on-again, off-again faction of choice for the Obama Administration to back in the Syrian Civil War, the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) has been struggling for years to win any important battles or amass and real territory of their own, and the group is now hemorrhaging fighters.
Those familiar with the situation say that poor conditions for FSA fighters and the fragmented leadership are a factor, but the main source of desertion is the low salaries, which are themselves irregularly paid in several of the factions that face constant funding problems.
FSA commanders say that fighters are paid as low as $50 a month to start, and even those fighting for a long time report getting less than $100 a month, when they get it at all. With other rebel factions like ISIS paying $1,000 or more as a monthly salary, the FSA just isn’t a reliable place for rebels to earn a living in a war that seemingly is going to last years.
Supporting family members is all but impossible for FSA fighters, and that’s doubly problematic with the FSA controlling so little land of their own, meaning the family they are living behind are often in “enemy territory” and persecuted for being related to an FSA fighter.
It’s no surprise, then, that the FSA is struggling to keep its estimated 35,000 fighters, split up into over 2,000 different factions, contented with their position in a war that is often changing, but in which their side never seems to be winning.
Consistent with what Putin had been saying ~that they'll move up the evil-ladder (migrate to AQ and/or ISIS) for better pay. Kinda makes me wonder if Obama's protectiveness of 'moderate rebels' aint just a lefty sentiment about their poor pay? Another whale to save?
Possibly, but that doesn't help Putin, it just bogs him down even more. If all the rebel groups merge into ISIS, he won't be able to play them off against each other and thereby save his precious naval base.
…but they do get more expensive.
That's truly hilarious, Monsieur Kenny. The Russians aren't playing the terrorist mercenaries against each other; the Russians are simply killing them. The US and the Zionists are the agency that's playing terrorist mercenaries against each other in a laughable bid to control the outcome. The US really sank to new lows by being suckered into the old Zionist game of setting up a new terrorist group to fight the old one that went rogue on their Mossad handlers. Speaking of that, the Iraqis captured a Mossad colonel leading an ISIS group. Fancy that! As for the Russian naval base, you seem fixated on taking Russian naval bases – Tartus, Sevastopol, Feodosia, Kerch, Novorossiisk, etc. You sound suspiciously strategic in your approach, and if I didn't know that you genuinely care about the ethnic Russians living in the Donbass (charity through shrapnel and the like), I'd be inclined to think that you were supporting the elimination of Russia's presence from the Black Sea.
"rebels to earn a living"
Is Ditz unable to say the word "mercenary"?
You better read the article to know where the $50.00 goes before you call
Those fighters' mercenaries /meaning the family they are living behind are often in “enemy territory” and persecuted for being related to an FSA fighter's.
Probably because someone might point out the cynical absurdity of Putin fighting mercenaries in Syria and supporting mercenaries in Ukraine.
Here are the real mercenaries fighting in Ukraine:
"Outa my face"
"I'm an American citizen"
I'm positive they didn't leave those American made weapons behind,
wait….maybe they just hand them over to ISIS.
In other words, all the rebel groups are merging into ISIS. That will bog Putin down even more throughly.
What a "liberation war" they're fighting, where they fight or not depending on the salary. Talk about mercenaries.
you cant fight if you cant eat,
50 dollars is what a nyc panhandler can make on a good day.
…thus far even the chat managed to avoid who's paying?
Okay, I'll bite. 🙂 The US has failed to learn the single largest lesson for handling mercenaries – they have to be paid regularly or they go elsewhere. Monsieur Kenny thinks that will bog down the Russians, but since the Russians are killing all of them anyway, it doesn't affect the Russians or Syrian government forces one bit. Now, what the mercenary defections are doing for the US comes down to loss of control over the outcome, not that the FSA offered any real guarantees in that regard. So, it's not Putin who is groaning, rather McCain, and there is ample media evidence of it.
well if they are getting 50 dollars a month then i presume no one is paying,