More US Secret Support to Syria’s Rebels
More and more details are uncovered regarding US meddling in the Syrian arena.
A new report revealed Thursday that US President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing his country's support for rebels. US sources familiar with the matter confirmed the information.
Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding", a presidential document containing an authoritative decision, broadly permits the CIA and other US agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"The White House is for now apparently stopping short of giving the rebels lethal weapons, even as some US allies do just that," the report mentioned in an attempt to improve the "disorganized, almost chaotic, rabble" armed groups performance.
The full extent of clandestine support that agencies like the CIA might be providing also is unclear.
In parallel, a US government source acknowledged that under provisions of the presidential finding, the United States was collaborating with a secret command center operated by Turkey and its allies.
Last week, Reuters reported that, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey had established a secret base near the Syrian border to help direct vital military and communications support to armed groups.
This "nerve center" is in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 60 miles (100 km) from the Syrian border, which is also home to Incirlik, a US air base where US military and intelligence agencies maintain a substantial presence.
On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen surface-to-air missiles, weapons that could be used against Syrian army helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
NBC said the shoulder-fired missiles, also known as MANPADs, had been delivered to the rebels via Turkey.
This came as it was reported that :the White House had crafted a directive authorizing greater US covert assistance to Syrian rebels."
Separately from the president's secret order, the Obama administration has stated publicly that it is providing support for the armed groups.
The State Department said on Wednesday the US government had set aside a total of 25 million dollars for "non-lethal" assistance to the Syrian opposition. A US official claimed that "the step was mostly for communications equipment, including encrypted radios."
Also on Wednesday, the US Treasury confirmed it had granted authorization to the Syrian Support Group, Washington representative of one of the most active armed factions, the so-called "Free Syrian Army", to conduct financial transactions on the rebel group's behalf. The authorization was first reported on Friday by Al-Monitor, a Middle East news and commentary website.
Source: Reuters, Edited by moqawama.org
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