Syrian Rebels Claim They Received US Missiles
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creisinger/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The U.S. may have finally gotten around to providing Syrian rebels with the heavy artillery they’ve been demanding since the start of the conflict three years ago to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
According to a report by Agence France-Presse, “fighters from the Hazm movement have for the first time received more than 20 TOW anti-tank missiles from a Western source.”
The AFP quoted an unidentified source familiar with the purported weapons hand-off.
The Hazm movement is a force within the Free Syrian Army. Amateur video released by an opposition media organization apparently shows rebels firing missiles at undisclosed locations in Syria.
U.S. officials have declined to comment on the source of the missiles.
The Obama administration has been skittish about providing opposition forces with heavy artillery, fearing it could fall into the heads of radical Islamic groups who have also joined in the Syrian civil war that has cost an estimated 150,000 lives since March 2011.
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