Franklin Lamb
Damacus
Al-Manar
Across Syria these days, one is able to examine massive evidence that this
ancient civilization, the historic bastion of nationalist Arabism and since the
1948 Nabka, an essential pillar of the growing culture of Resistance to the
Zionist occupation of Palestine, is becoming awash with foregin arms being funneled to
“rebels” by countries advocating regime change.
This observer has been researching foreign arms transfers into certain Middle
East countries since last summer in Libya, where to a lesser degree the
identical foreign actors were involved in faciliating the transfer of arms and
fighters to topple the then, “Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.”
During a recent stay in Syria, I was able to observe first hand, substantial
demostrative evidence supporting the thesis that American, Zionist and Gulf
intelligence agencies as well as private arms dealers from these countries top
the list of of more than two dozen countries benefiting from the crisis in
Syria by injecting arms. These counries gain politically and financially, via
governmental and black market arms transfers.
Which countries are sending the most weapons into Syria to arm militia?
A list of the top 24 countries, among the more than three dozen that are
currently ivolved in sending weapons to Syria to achieve regime change include:
USA, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, UK,
France, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Portugal, Poland, Yugoslavia,
Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, and Argentina.
Nearly two-thirds of the above listed arms suppliers are members of NATO and
constitute almost half of NATO’s 28 country membership.
Russia is not included in the above list because it is the main supplier of
arms to the Syrian government. Yet, one finds older USSR era weapons and even
some more recent vintage Russian arms in rebel hands, the latter from the decade
(12/79-2/89) of Soviet, occupation of Afghanistan. Also offering Russian weapons
are a growing number of black market arms dealers of whom there is no shortage
along the Turkey-Syrian border and elsewhere.
This recent visitor to Syria was
offered near the Old City, AK 47’s (Russian Kalashnikovs) or Rocket Propelled
Grenades (RPG) for $ 1,800 (in Lebanon today and before the Syrian crisis the
price was around $800. After some bargaining and starting to walk away a couple
of times, the “special one-time only price for an American friend” dropped to $
750 each. Russian made Dragunov sniper rifles are being offered at $ 6,500 but
can be bought for around $ 5000.
Buying arms
these days in Syria is a caveat emptor proposition. Fake weapons and military
rejects/defects are also being offered by hustlers from nearby countries
including Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.
The involvement of numerous countries in the Syrian crisis as arms suppliers
and political operatives was tangencialy referenced by the recent UN Security
Council Statement of 12/25/12 which admits the existence of foreign actors and
implies their arms supplying activities by urging "all regional and
international actors to use their influence on the parties concerned to
facilitate the implementation of the (Eid al Adha) ceasefire and cessation of
violence."
Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari
observed last week:
"This part of the [Security Council] press statement,
mentioned for the first time, proves Syria's view repeated since the beginning
of the crisis on the existence of Arab, regional and international parties
influencing the armed groups negatively or positively. Therefore, those parties
need to be addressed."
One of the key challenges for the UN and Arab League envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi
whose aides told this observer at the Dama Rose hotel on 10/22/12 where we were
staying, is: "We need to persuade key countries in the Middle East, but also
internationally, not to support the rebels with arms.
The failed initiative of envoy Brahimi, was the third ceasefire attempt to
date following the December 2011Arab League proposal and the April 2012 Kofi
Annan initiative, both of which were endorsed by the Syrian government and most
of the world community. Some rebel militia, but not nearly enough, did endorse
the Brahimi four day Eid al Adha ceasefire only to have it collapse this past
weekend. To his credit, Brahimi continues his work.
The same Brahimi sources suggested that the United States may also be
supplying man-portable air-defense systems (Manpods) to rebels in Syria.
According to Russian Foregin Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich, speaking
on 12/15/12: “At the same time, it is also well-known that Washington is aware
of supplies of various types of arms to illegal armed groups operating in Syria.
Moreover, the United States, judging by admissions by American officials that
have also been published in American media, is conducting coordination and
providing logistical support for such supplies.” NBC News, based in New York
reported in July that Syrian insurgents had obtained two dozen US MANPADS,
delivered from Turkey.
A month after the October 2011 death of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi,
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced in Tripoli that the U.S. was
committing $40 million to help Libya "secure and recover its weapons
stockpiles." Congressional sources report that the Obama administration is
fully aware that quantities of these arms are current in Syria and more in
transit.
With respect to arms moving from Libya to Syria, on the night of Sept. 11
Libya time, in what was his last public meeting, US Ambassador Christopher
Stevens met with the Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akin, and accompanied him
to the consulate front gate just before the assault began. Although what was
discussed has not yet been made public, Washington sources including the
pro-Zionist Fox News speculate that
Stevens may have been in Benghazi
negotiating a weapons transfer, from Libya to Syria.
Earlier this year, Assistant Secretary of State for Political and Military
Affairs Andrew Shapiro expressed concerns that the increasing flow of Libya arms
was far from under control. Speaking to the Stimson Center in Washington D.C. on
2/10/12 Shapiro said:
"This raises the question -- how many weapons and missiles
are still missing? The frank answer is we don't know and probably never
will."
According to a 10/14/12 report by the Times of London, a vessel
flying the Libyan flag named Al Entisar (Victory), loaded with more than 400
tons of cargo, docked in southern Turkey 35 miles from the Syrian northern
border. While some of the undeclared cargo was likely humanitarian, staff
accompanying UN envoy Brahimi during his recent Syrian trip report the Al
Entisar also carried the largest consignment of foreign weapons to date,
including surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles, RPG's and MANPADS destined for
Syria.
Partly because of the jihadists and arms entering Syria from its northern
border, southern Turkey is increasingly referred to here in Damascus as “New
Afghanistan”, given its matrix of jihadists, salafists, wahabists, and
battle-hardened panoply of arriving foreign would-be mujahedeen and al Qaeda
affiliates.
Remarkably, as was witnessed in 2007, during the conflict at the Nahr al
Bared Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon, some of the arriving eager
jihadists in “New Afghanistan”
actually believe that they are fighting against
Zionist forces near occupied Palestine and not killing fellow Arabs in
Syria.
Some, but not all of the many types of small arms flowing into Syria in
large numbers, and viewed by this observer include:
7.62mm Tabuk (Yugoslavia) rifles, Mass rifles (UK), 7.62 mm rifles (Poland),
12 mm rifles (Italy), 7.62 mm Kalashnikovs (several countries versions), 9 mm
‘fast gun’, (Austria), 7.62 mm Val (Belgium), G3 7.62 mm G3 rifles (Germany),
7.5mm model 36 rifles (France), M16 and a variety of sniper and other rifles
(USA), 7.62 rifles (Bulgaria, 10.5 Uzi and other automatic machine guns, three
types of hand grenades (Israel), 9 mm guns (Canad), 7 mm guns (Czech Republic),
7 mm guns (Brazil),
The observer also examined and was briefed on M72 LAW and AT-3 anti-tank
missiles developed by the United States. But the extent of their use is
difficult to verify. Most of the arms shown in accompanying photos are from the
main urban centers and near the Turkish, Iraqi, Lebanese and Jordanian
borders.
In tightly built up urban areas such as Homs, Idlib and Aleppo, door to door
fighting includes a battle among snipers. According to one Syrian military
intelligence source in whose Damascus office this observer discussed the
subject, the most frequently confiscated sniper rifles currently being found in
the hands of “rebels” include:
- · the U.S. Army & USMC M1903-A4 (also: USMC M1903-A1/Unertl),
the U.S. Army & USMC M1C & M1D and U.S. Army M21;
- · the Israeli M89SR Technical Equipment International 7.62x51mm NATO
Semi-automatic, Galil Sniper Rifle and the T.C.I. M89-SR,
- · the British .243 Winchester, 7.62x51mm NATO/.308 Winchester,.300
Winchester Magnum, and the 338 Lapua Magnum Bolt action sniper rifles.
A few Afghanistan era Russian Dragonov SVD and SV-98 sniper rifles have also
been confiscated among an assortment of others.
Foreign jihadists have some access to Soviet-era DShK heavy machine guns or
ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannons which are used for anti-aircraft and fire support.
Both use fairly scarce high-explosive rounds and armor-piercing rounds, which
are capable of penetrating the armor of the Syrian military's BMP infantry
fighting vehicles. The ZU-23-2 "Sergey", also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed
23 mm anti-aircraft cannon. Vehicle mounted Zu-23-2’s are relatively easy to
spot by government aircraft and artillery units are used to attack a target and
quickly flee to avoid counter strikes.
On 10/25/12 Russia reiterated its claims that the US assists and coordinates
arms deliveries to foreign-sponsored insurgents battling the Syrian government
forces. Russia's chief military officer said that Syrian armed groups have
acquired US-made weapons, including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. This
observer saw many weapons from more than a dozen types of IED’s (improvised
explosive device) to medium sized artillery pieces but no missiles.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry issued statement of 10/25/12,
“Washington is aware of the deliveries of various weapons to illegal armed
groups active in Syria. Moreover, judging by the declarations of US officials
published in US media, the US coordinates and provides logistical assistance in
such deliveries.”
Some analysts in Damascus claim that Syria’s potential military strength has
not been as effective as it could be in the current urban fights against rebels.
The government appears very strong militarily if one studies the statistics
regarding Syria’s large and disciplined army which continues its support and
also given its sophisticated long range missiles, air defense systems that have
deterred an airborne attack from Israel. One reason progress has at times
appeared slow against the “rebels” according to some local analysts was a
certain initial unpreparedness to confront highly motivated guerrilla militia in
downtown densely populated areas.
These kinds of battles, it is claimed, require
a mobile infantry, armored flexibility and very effective use of light arms.
The Assad government’s “adapt, catch up and go on the offensive” paradigm is
developing rapidly according to US Senate Armed Service Committee sources who
assert that the Syria army has actually become battle hardened, tougher,
stronger and more disciplined over the past several months. But it has taken
time and has incurred a significant cost.
Weapons examined by this observer in Syria during 10/12 include some of the
more than 1,750 new American sniper rifles channeled from Iraq and NATO supply
stores to rebel militia.
How foreign weapons are entering Syria
As widely speculated particularly in the regional media, foreign supplied
weapons to “rebels” arrive by air, sea and mainly by land from Iraq, Tu
rkey, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and occupied
Palestine.
Israel is reported, by some researchers in Damascus
who have been covering the crisis for nearly 20 months, to be sending arms to
Syria from Kurdistan, having had much experience in Africa, South America and
Eastern Europe via Mossad and Israeli black market arms dealing.
What Israel did
in Libya in terms of a wide spread arms business it is also trying to do in
Syria. Israeli arms, according to Syrian and Lebanese sources are being
transported into Syria from along the tri-border area of South Lebanon, near
Shebaa Farms, close to Jabla al-Saddaneh, and Gadja. In addition, Israeli
smugglers have increasingly, over the past five months, been seen by locals
moving arms inside Syria via the Golan Heights. These violations of Syrian and
Lebanese sovereignty raise serious questions about the vigilance of the United
Nations Disengagement Observer Force Zone (UNDO) based in the Golan Heights as
well as the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Army as well
as National Lebanese Resistance units near the ‘blue line’ to stop the these
illicit Israeli arms transfers.
The recent arrival in southern Turkey and along the northern Syrian border of
Blackwater mercenaries is expected to increase the foreign arms flow. Currently
using the name Academi (previously known as Xena- Xe Services LLC, Blackwater
USA and Blackwater Worldwide) Academi is currently, according to Jane’s Defense
Weekly, the largest of the US governments “private security” contractors.
Details of its relationship with the US Defense Department and the CIA are
classified.
Is there a coherent US policy toward the Syrian crisis?
Secretary of State Clinton has been announcing recently that the U.S. is
increasing its “non-lethal support” (i.e. direct shipments as opposed to boots
on the ground or ballistic weapons) according to her Congressional liaison
office. She also confirmed that Washington is working with its friends and
allies to promote more cohesion among the disparate Syrian opposition groups
with the aim of producing a new leadership council following meetings scheduled
for Doha in the coming weeks.
However, to the consternation of the State Department, General David Petraeus
the former US commander of NATO forces in Iraq, now director of the CIA
acknowledged, during his senate confirmation hearings.
“Non-lethal aid to
combatants, including communication equipment, is sometimes more lethal and
important than explosive devices due to the logistical advantages they provides
on the battlefield.”
In tandem with the US, the UK and several European governments are supplying
“non-lethal” aid to the Syrian opposition, including satellite communications
equipment according to Syria security sources.
There is also plenty of anecdotal and demonstrative and probative evidence in
Syria of human weapons patterned on the "
Zarqawi model” which refers to the
bloody al Qaeda in Mesopotamia campaign named for its leader Abu Musab al
Zarqawi after U.S. troops occupied Iraq.
In a speech this week in Zagreb, Croatia, this week,
Secretary of State Clinton insisted that any group seeking to oust President
Bashar al-Assad must reject attempts by extremists to "hijack" a legitimate
revolution. She added, “There are disturbing reports of heavily armed foreign
extremists going into Syria and attempting to take over.”
Clinton used her
strongest words to date concerning risks that the uprising in Syria could be
overtaken by militants who do not seek a democratic replacement or the reforms
that the current government claims it is trying to implement. She told her
conferees:
"We made it clear that the SNC can no longer be viewed as the
visible leader of the opposition. They can be part of a larger opposition, but
that opposition must include people from inside Syria and others who have a
legitimate voice. We also need an opposition that will be on record strongly
resisting the efforts by extremists to hijack the Syrian revolution. There are
disturbing reports of heavily armed extremists going into Syria and attempting
to take over.”
Clinton advised her colleagues that the US has become convinced
that the SNC does not represent the interests of all ethnic and religious groups
in Syria and that it has little legitimacy among on-the-ground activists and
fighters, and has done little to stem the infiltration of Islamist extremists
into the opposition forces.
Clinton’s language is being interpreted by some as evidence that a
post-election Obama Whitehouse, she he win on November, may move toward the
Russian, Chinese, and Iranian position and away from, what one Congressional
source derisively labeled, “ the view from the Gulf gas stations” i.e. Saudi
Arabia, Qatar and some other despotic monarchies.
The intervention in Syria by more than three dozen countries supplying
weapons must be stopped. Both sides of the Syrian crisis need to manifest by
actions, not just words, a serious commitment to meaningful dialogue. The above
noted arms supplying countries, and others off stage, have a solemn obligation
to their citizens and to the world community to immediately halt the shipment of
arms.
They should, and their people should demand that they do without further
delay, honor the words of Isaiah 2:3-5….”and they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
Granted, perhaps a cliché and certainly far easier said than done.
Yet, as Oregon’s late great US Senator Wayne Morse used tell audiences around
America during the Vietnam War, quoting General George Marshall, “The only way
we human beings can win a war is to prevent it.”
It’s time for the international community to end the Syrian crisis
diplomatically, stop funneling arms and cash fueling hoped for regime change
elements. Instead, they must demand that all the involved parties immediately
engage in serious dialogue and settle their differences.
Franklin Lamb, just returned from Syria and is reachable c/o fplamb@gmail.com
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Source: Al-Manar Website
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian 
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog! |
Ali Abunimah, the Chicago-based, American-Palestinian activist, is, once again, on the attack. In the last few months he has launched campaigns against some of the most prominent pro-Palestinian figures such as Prof. Finkelstein, Prof. Chomsky, Greta Berlin, Col. Ann Wright and myself. But now he seems to stepping one gear up.
In his recent book, Omar Barghouti reaffirms the above. In the introduction to his book, Barghouti specifies that the first BDS goal refers to 1967 “ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands [occupied in 1967] and dismantling the wall” (p. 6). 
The Global March to Jerusalem was a symbolic reminder of the Palestinian right to return to their homes and land. Surprise surprise, Ali Abunimah also failed to support the March. 
He could have thought that attacking Berlin, Finkelstein, Chomsky, Wright, Arafat or Abbas would make him popular amongst his Jewish followers and funders. In fact, it may be that all these explanations are equally valid.
Ali Abunimah must understand that if he wants to return to his land he might have to pick a gun and learn how defend himself. He will have to accept that liberation may demand sacrifice.
