A SAAB RBS 70 man-portable air-defense
system, or MANPAD. One of the
many types of lethal weapons that are regularly sold, or fall
into the hands
of, people considered to be terrorists. In Syria and Iraq, the cycle
repeats.
Jihadi MANPADS: History Teaches 'Precisely Nothing' (Komsomolskaya
Pravda, Russia)
"The fact that thousands of Islamists in the spirit of al-Qaeda are battling Assad is something Washington finds a little confusing. There, apparently, they have learned to distinguish between 'subtle shades of grey.' Anyone in this implacable Islamist Syria who is pro-Western is 'our son-of-a-bitch,' and useful to democracy. Something similar occurred in Libya, where 'useful' fighters of Qaddafi got so carried away by their struggle for democracy, they destroyed the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and brutally killed the ambassador."
Ahmad Jarba, a leading Syrian 'moderate,' has told the White House that without MANPADs, Syria's moderate opposition cannot to overcome the air superiority of Bashar al-Assad. But has Washington changed its mind about Assad?
In
Barack Obama's administration, a delicate question is being discussed: whether
or not to supply man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) to rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad's regime. In recent months, Assad's troops
have succeeded, and his toppling is not at all in evidence. Nevertheless, the
U.S. operates on the principle of "Carthage must be
destroyed"!
While
lengthy talks in Geneva yielded no results, the fact that thousands of
Islamists in the spirit of al-Qaeda are battling Assad is something Washington finds a little confusing.
There, apparently, they have learned to distinguish between "subtle shades
of grey." Anyone in this implacable Islamist Syria who is pro-Western
is 'our son-of-a-bitch," and useful to democracy. Something similar to
this occurred in Libya, where "useful" fighters of the tyrant Qaddafi
got so carried away by their struggle for democracy, they destroyed the American
Consulate in Benghazi and brutally killed the ambassador. If anything disturbs Hillary
Clinton's campaign to be next American president, it will be this particular
episode: as secretary of state, this got by her.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
In
Syria, one such "Westernized" man is considered to be Ahmad Jarba,
head of the Syrian
National Coalition. He was in Washington not long ago and raised the question
of supplying MANPADs to his men. Allegedly, with over
160,000 people killed since the civil war broke out and Assad began taking the
upper hand, only weapons in that range of lethality can undermine Assad's air superiority
and turn the tide of the war.
A
"breakthrough" in the area of supplying weapons has already occurred:
The United States recently began supplying "moderate" insurgents with
modern anti-tank weapons. This was done within the framework of a special agreement
with Saudi Arabia (Saudis are eager to topple Assad, ally of their main enemy, Iran).
Not
everyone is inspired by the idea of supplying Syrian rebels with MANPADS. Thus,
former CIA director David Petraeus called the plans "a nightmare threat."
After all, if they can help in the fight against al-Assad, there's no guarantee
they won't be used outside Syria. No one can say whether they'll be used by
terrorists against civilian aircraft. At one time, the delivery of similar systems,
"Stinger" missiles, helped the Afghan mujahedeen in their struggle against
Soviet aircraft. Of course, the United States has long puzzled over how to recover
these items from around the world, including buying them from "undesirable
elements."
Revolutionary Guard Corp. members carry a Iranian Misagh-2
man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD).
As
for the modern American weapons already delivered to the region's "good
guys" ... Just days ago, Islamists from the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant seized not only Iraq's second most important
city of Mosul, but vast areas north of Baghdad. Government troops, trained and
armed by the United States, although outnumbering militant fighters tenfold, fled,
abandoning what the Americans had supplied. Now those weapons, too, are in the
hands of the Islamists. By the way, the militants in this group have long fought
Assad in Syria. As with bin Laden in Afghanistan, they have picked up combat experience
and weren't reared without U.S. involvement. History teaches precisely nothing.
History teaches precisely nothing.
