I have revised Debbie’s list of locations, which made no sense – RB
First foreign troops in Syria back Homs rebels
DEBKAfile, Feb 8 2012
Our sources report that British and Qatari special operations units are operating under cover with rebel forces in Homs. The foreign troops are not engaged in direct combat with the Syrian forces. They are tactical advisers, manage rebel communications lines and relay their requests for arms, ammo, fighters and logistical aid to outside suppliers, mostly in Turkey. They have set up three centers of operation within the city, in Khaldiyeh in the north, Bab Amr in the west, and Bab al Dreib in the south, and also one at al-Rastan, 20 km to the north of the city. Turkish PM Erdogan unveiled a plan to parliament in Ankara on Feb 7 to consign a new Turkish-Arab force to Homs under the protection of those contingents. Later, they would go to additional flashpoint cities. On Feb 8, Erdogan sent Foreign Minister Davutoglu to Washington to ask for the Obama administration’s cooperation. Erdogan is also in urgent consultation with Saudi and several other Gulf rulers in the hope of bringing them aboard. The British-Qatari troop presence in Homs was at the center of Assad’s talks in Damascus on Feb 7 with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and intelligence chief Fradkov.
