Report: Americans Training Syrian Anti-Government Rebels
In this Friday February 8, 2013, photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter sits behind an anti-aircraft weapon in Aleppo, Syria. (Photo: AP)
European media is reporting that Americans are joining with French and British forces in training anti-government Syrian rebels against President Bashar al-Assad, though it’s not clear whether they represent private firms or their respective governments.
The U.K. Guardian writes:
Western training of Syrian rebels is under way in Jordan in an effort to strengthen secular elements in the opposition as a bulwark against Islamic extremism, and to begin building security forces to maintain order in the event of Bashar al-Assad’s fall.
Jordanian security sources say the training effort is led by the US, but involves British and French instructors.
The UK Ministry of Defence denied any British soldiers were providing direct military training to the rebels, though a small number of personnel, including special forces teams, have been in the country training the Jordanian military.
But the Guardian has been told that UK intelligence teams are giving the rebels logistical and other advice in some form.
British officials have made it clear that they believe new EU rules have now given the UK the green light to start providing military training for rebel fighters with the aim of containing the spread of chaos and extremism in areas outside the Syrian regime’s control.
According to European and Jordanian sources the western training in Jordan has been going on since last year and is focused on senior Syrian army officers who defected.
“As is normal, before any major decision is taken on this issue, the preparations are made so that when that decision is taken, everything is in place for it to go smoothly. That is what these groups [special forces] do. They go in in advance,” a European diplomat said. [Emphasis added]
A Jordanian official explained for Der Spiegel, a German paper reporting on the same story: ”The Jordanian intelligence services want to prevent Salafists (radical Islamists) crossing from their own country into Syria and then returning later to stir up trouble in Jordan itself.”
Roughly 200 men have been trained over the past three months, the reports claim, and the plan is to work with some 1,200 members of the “Free Syrian Army.”
More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict that began as a pro-democracy movement but quickly became a civil war. Roughly 1 million refugees have fled the fighting, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry recently promised $60 million in humanitarian aid on top of the $385 million already pledged by President Barack Obama.
Reuters reached out to the U.S. Defense Department for clarification, but it declined to comment on the report at this time. The French foreign ministry and Britain’s foreign and defense ministries also had no comment.
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Related:
- Report: Syrian Rebels Behead Christian Man and Feed His Body to Dogs
- Video: Syrian Child With a Dagger Apparently Caught Singing, ‘Our Leader is Bin Laden, the Americans’ Worst Nightmare’
- President Obama Authorizes $155 Million in New Aid to Syria: Victims Will ‘Continue to Find a Partner in the United States of America’
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Comments (61)
G-WHIZ
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 9:51amMore Bammy butzkissing of MUZZIEBRUDDERHUDDIE!!
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media-bias-steals-elections
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 8:19amDid the United States invade Japan and turn them into an Islamic nation? Did the United States invade Germany and make them a Christian nation?
Why should we send aid to Islamic countries that support the religion of Islam, virtually gauranteeing that future regimes will be unstable, and also violate the civil rights of Americans by not establishing an establishment of religion using public tax dollars?
Have you lost your minds?
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HafricanAmerican
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 7:28amFor all of you saying That Obama gets a free pass we needed to leave them alone and let them fight there own battles I disagree with Obama training the Rebels I’m just bringing out the irony of your hatred because Reagan and Bush and Kennedy and Johnson did the the same things and it didn’t work I am not an Obama worshipor I voted for Ron Paul also I gotta love your racism in the morning
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AUsername
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 7:22amThis over work training programs for Americans is traitor-ship.
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Libby_Tarian
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 7:16amWhy are we trying to spread democracy? The new word is Democracy ( like it is the holy grail ). We are taking tax dollars and pouring them into the hands of a religion that is a religion of hate.
When public servant Obama visits Jerusalem on our tax dollars, he will be escorted to the top of Mount Moriah by a religious sect that has attacked the US over and over. This sect worships a moon god who married the sun goddess and had 3 daughters. This sect of religious zealots want the destruction of a group of people. This sect of religious zealots enjoy driving people from their lands into the sea.
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ares338
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 6:43am“State John Kerry recently promised $60 million in humanitarian aid on top of the $385 million already pledged by President Barack Obama”
The only problem with this is we don’t have the money to give them. Progressives have already spent the money along with week knee’d Republicans. It’s like one street person floating a $50,000 loan to another street person.
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Libby_Tarian
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 7:19amThe rebels (religious sect of people who like blowing things up) told Kerry that they do not want food, bandages, or any other kind of aid, they want guns.
So, our tax money, which we have to borrow at interest, will be going to arm citizens to fight against their government.
Hmmm, and yet our government that takes our tax money to do these things wants guns our of our hands.
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nzkiwi
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 6:03amThese are the people that Mr Obama is supporting with hundreds of millions of dollars.
The victim in this clip is known as the “yellow man”. He is a harmless old coot who dresses entirely in yellow, with even a yellow cell phone. He makes a living out of his minor notoriety by having tourists pay a small amount to have their photograph taken with him.
The Free Syrian Army thugs, who are NOT Syrian, slap him around, rob him, terrify him with death threats, and eventually let him go.
It is a tiny event, but it clearly indicates the character of the FSA. It demonstrates one reason why almost all of the Syrian people want nothing to do these opportunistic miscreants and continue to support Mr Assad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eEvZAzec7Dk
Mr Obama and his NATO allies are on the wrong side of this one. The Syrian people are contemptuous of the lies that they see promulgated on the media and the internet.
The only way that the Allied governments can succeed in this regime change is to put Allied soldier’s boots on the ground, and that would be a huge mistake. The trouble is that they are getting close to the point where they will be unable to find a face-saving exit…
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EP46
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 5:27amAre these the same Rebels who took the UN Peacekeepers hostage ? Who are we smuggling arms to in Syria? Why can’t we get the truth about gun running from Behghazi?
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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 2:10amAll this ‘arab spring’ crapp is an excuse to arm terrorists and the muslim brotherhood to the teeth. there is no other reason. Arm, install, attack.. blame Bush all the way, as if Bush invented middle east chaos.
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Grover_Standpipe
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 1:29amGood! Assad is bad news. He has to go. We have to pick a side because staying out of it would still be picking a side. Since we have to pick a side we should be on the opposite side from the guy who is using chemical warfare on his own people. If that puts us on the same side as Al Qaeda then it does. It’s better to be on the same side as an enemy than to end up with the people thinking of Al Qaeda as their friend and us as their enemy and being right.
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The_Jerk
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 1:48amWe shouldn’t be involved. Fools get involved in other people’s problems. You’ve just defined yourself.
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Grover_Standpipe
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 3:04amA nation is people getting involved in other people’s problems. A community is people getting involved in other people’s problems. A family is people getting involved in other people’s problems. You’ve just dismissed the source of all human greatness as foolishness.
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Djbaha
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 5:10amSo basically choosing the lesser of two evils? Gotta love how that goes. So we can be fighting against al-quaeda in one country and train them how to fight in another…that makes so much sense.
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nzkiwi
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 6:26am@ Grover
I’m sorry to say that the situation is not as the Obama administration and NATO say it is. The western populations are being told blatant lies. I hate to disillusion you, but you should do some research on the subject – including Benghazi which brought this whole thing into the sunlight.
It is a big subject and it will take some of your valuable time, but it is better to be informed, is it not?
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Grover_Standpipe
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 6:28amYeah, you sometimes have to pick the lesser of two evils, like when we sided with Communists against Nazis, or when we sided with military dictators against Communists. Waiting to only get involved with completely trustworthy leaders of pure and noble causes who love and admire us unreservedly would effectively constitute a policy of total isolationism. It’s like only voting for a perfect candidate, or only dating a perfect woman, or only accepting your dream job. The result is doing nothing for yourself or anybody else. You only hurt yourself by not being practical and choosing the best available option.
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Gonzo
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 7:28amI’m with you Jerk. We trained “freedom fighters” in Afghanistan in the 80′s to fight the Russians. After they ran off the Russians they morphed into Al Qaeda and produced leaders like Osama Bin Laden. Let them settle their own damned messes.
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Libby_Tarian
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 7:33amThinking that we have to somehow save the world from evil men should be started at home first.
We have an evil regime right here who want our guns, our money, our children. This should start at home.
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woodyee
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 8:17pmI stand with Jerk – at best you’re just wishfully thinking, Pipe. Obammy’s made a mess of the Middle East, one which I doubt we’ll ever be able to reverse, and he’s just piling on by assisting the ‘rebels’, many of which are allied with Al-Qaeda.
You can wishfully think that his ‘plan’ (I call BS on it) to establish a secular government in Syria, will work out, but so far, it hasn’t panned out in Libya, and civilian efforts to restore what Obammy destroyed in Egypt, is about to get bloodier.
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GONE_SOVEREIGN
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 12:13amBarry has “flipped” so many times, which side is he on again??
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nzkiwi
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 6:27amThe wrong one, to the surprise of very few…
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Briancito
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:20pmWe need to stay out of this. All the winners will likely do is turn on us. It is Syria’s to solve.
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Trigus
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:26pmWhy are we training the very Terrorist that killed US and Coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Only you can make this Once Great Nation, Great Again.
2013 American Patriot Spring, What will you do?
The distinctions between Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and Independents are no more. I Am Not A Republican, But An American! – Sons of Liberty
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GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:44pmI would like to add that there are no good people involved in this conflict…you don’t know which one is worse than the other side…..evil vs. evil
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oldguy49
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:51pmtrigus……amen pass the ammo
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RationalMan
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:54pmTrigus, stated….
Independents are no more. I Am Not A Republican, But An American! – Sons of Liberty…
———————————————————————————————————-
Well, you don’t know about history!
Independents War was about “INDIVIDUALISM”….Individualism means “LIBERTY”!
Do your homework about “American Revolution and The War of Independence”!
BTW, that’s why in my book it’s called a “PSUEDO-HISTORY”!!!!!
Think about it!!!!
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sinner-saint
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:12pmWe train our enemies……………pure insanity to say the least. as an U.S. citizen, I cannot support that. The government is definitely out of control. There is absolutely no reason for this to be going on. Our own government makes themself an enemy of the People and this country by aiding our enemies. Isn’t that just dandy? They’ll get no more tax dollars from me nor will I comply with anything they say until they straighten their act up. The government is gone and lost. They do not represent the People anymore. All they want is our money now – money to aid our enemies and give to other countries. Piss on that noise.
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AmericaMustBeFree
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:01pmSo let me get this straight, our illustrious government gives Syrian’s weapons and training, yet they want to take yours guns away?? This is Obama’s war.. he bullied Bush about war.. and yet he is the biggest war monger ever!
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freedom4ever
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:45pmYou know what’s really interesting is that our government can’t afford proper equipment for our troops BUT they can afford to train the enemy!
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saliwalido
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:38pmGeeze, sounds like Afghanistan when the US trained the mujaheddin to fight against the Russians. I remember how we’ll that turned out! It only produced Osama bin Laden. When will we ever learn?? The enemy of my enemy is NOT my friend!
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HafricanAmerican
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:51pmGood to hear that some Blazers have the intigence to understand that we did this back in the 80s with Reagan
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Ben__Franklin
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:44pmSo Obama gets a pass then?
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justiceday
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:33pmI thought he promised us we would be getting out of these wars? My question is will they train them to rape like our troops are doing? http://www.theusmarinesrape.com/HideTheTruth.html
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Ben__Franklin
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:50pmNo, but Obama will train them to blame everyone else….
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nzkiwi
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 6:32amIn your grief for your friend you have dishonestly tarred the whole Corps with the misdeeds of a few…
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Hotconchick
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:30pmWhy isn’t the military defying orders?
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HafricanAmerican
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:26pmWhat Obama is doing the same thing that the holy-one lord Ronald Reagan did with the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan in the 80s you people need to learn up on your history at least Obama isn’t selling arms to Iran does Iran-Contra mean anything
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gyro
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:34pmwant the ussr involved ? mid cold war?
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HafricanAmerican
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:44pmSame kind of proxy war Syrian Rebels/Afgani freedom fighters(Mujahadeen) need help from us because they need to be free from USSR/Syrian Regime
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TheBurningTruth
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:35pmCrawl back to your welfare hole mr Half-American. When Reagan did it 30 years ago, it was a new untried policy. Wrong as it was, it didn’t have previous experience to build on. Also, the goal was to overwhelm the Soviets and NOT local nation building. In that regard, it DID work.
President Marxist and his Progressive Liberals now have all the knowledge of that experience 30 years ago, plus all that’s happened in in Afghanistan over the last decade as well as places like Benghazi this past year. The Muslim Terrorists play nice today, and kill you tomorrow.
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Ben__Franklin
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:43pmDo I hear the typical grade school recess excuse that Johnnie did it first to avoid ones own responsibility and accountability? Surprised I did not hear Bush did it too….
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:01pmSo now we are training terrorists in detail, one more crime committed by Obama and the administration.
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HafricanAmerican
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:53pmReagan did the same thing in Afghanistan you people are ignorant because Reagan can do no wrong kind of like the same way some liberals deify Obama just like some conservatives deify Reagan
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Ben__Franklin
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:47pmand Bush did it too…..Obama’s **** cheeks tastes soo good.
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nzkiwi
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 6:42am@ Snow
Right again, my friend…
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chips1
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 9:58pmLeft. Right. Left. Right. They will never get the hang of it.
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civilwarcometh
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 9:57pmBin laden would be so pleased to see America funding and training his army… This should be enough to arrest everyone involved for treason.. Who America needs again is a man like this… When Calvin Coolidge was president in the glitzy 1920s, he took the republican ideal so seriously that he ended up in a series of tiffs with the White House housekeeper, Elizabeth Jaffray, over the cost of state dinners, and took to admonishing the executive branch for using too many pencils. Such behavior now serves only as a punchline to a joke that is not funny. The current annual cost of the White House — just in household expenses, not the policy operations for which it exists — is $1.4 billion: He wouldn’t be funding or training the ENEMY!!!
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civilwarcometh
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:09pmIn the last month the FED has pumped 100 Billion dollars into foreign owned banks operating in the U.S.
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resme
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:13pm“In the last month the FED has pumped 100 Billion dollars into foreign owned banks operating in the U.S.”
Been pumping money into foreign banks since it’s inception. Example: Hitler during ww2 and before ww2.
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RationalMan
Posted on March 11, 2013 at 12:14amIt’s all “ARTIFICAL”!
Even our lives….
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GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 9:55pmWhat could possibly go wrong?
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gyro
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:22pm1 – they shoot americans with weapons and bullets supplied by americans
2 – refure to 1
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GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:33pmI don’t like to use “Sarcasm off” at the end of the sentence….
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gyro
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 9:54pmrated a 9 on the stupid scale
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Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 10:20pmA band of fools playing fiddle while the titanic burns in Rome.
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Ben__Franklin
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 9:52pmSo where are the Bleeding Hart Liberals on this one? Oh, that is right, its the wrong President….
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DAS_MOOCH
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:34pmask HALFRICAN ^^ & HALFRICAN, obama is selling & supplying weapons to syrian, libyan, mooselum brotherhood fighters, does Benghazi mean anything to you?
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Ben__Franklin
Posted on March 10, 2013 at 11:49pmTalking Points memo went out to the Liberal Trash. They are to use Reagen as a talking point to cover for Obama and deflect the conversation.
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