Thousands of gunmen preparing to enter Syria?
Russia Today, Feb 21 2012
Over 10,000 Libyans are reportedly being trained in a closed-off zone in Jordan, before being snuck into Syria to fight for the opposition. These men are allegedly paid around $1,000/month, funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Jordan-based AlBawaba says most of the gunmen who are being trained were actually part of the Libyan armed opposition to Gaddafi’s regime. The allegations of funding from Riyadh and Doha were not attributed to anyone, but AlBawaba did draw attention to the fact that both Saudi Arabia and Qatar actively support the Syrian opposition. At the same time, several Iranian news sources report that some 50 Turkish officers arrested in Syria last week have confirmed that they were trained by the Israeli Special Forces to carry out insurgent acts against the Syrian government. The arrested officers also, according to Iran’s Fars news agency, admitted to initiating contact with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, inadvertently lending support to the countries’ involvement in the ongoing conflict in Syria. British MI6 agents have entered the Syrian ground, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. This is the first time such a declaration has come from a ministry. The media have been boiling with reports on foreign Special Forces training the Syrian opposition since November. DEBKAfile reported that British and Qatari commandos are instructing the Syrian opposition and supplying them with arms. Le Canard Enchaine and Milliyet revealed the presence of French intelligence in the region, also instructing the Free Syrian Army in urban guerrilla techniques. These camps were located in Libya’s Tripoli, southern Turkey and northern Lebanon, read the reports. The Syrian government has also to deal with Jihadists flocking to the country from neighboring Iraq. According to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, the insurgents are smuggling weaponry across the border to support the anti-Assad movement. The foreign assistance has every chance of going beyond supply and training, analysts say.
