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Update: U.S. training Syrian rebels; White House 'stepped up assistance'

TheDemSocialist

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WASHINGTON — White House officials refused to comment Friday on a Los Angeles Times report that CIA operatives and U.S. special operations troops have been secretly training Syrian rebels with anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons since late last year, saying only that the U.S. had increased its assistance to the rebellion.[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]The covert U.S. training at bases in Jordan and Turkey began months before President [/FONT]Obama[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif] approved plans to begin directly arming the opposition to Syrian President [/FONT]Bashar Assad[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif], according to U.S. officials and rebel commanders.[/FONT]

The training has involved fighters from the Free Syrian Army, a loose confederation of rebel groups that the Obama administration has promised to back with expanded military assistance, said a U.S. official, who discussed the effort anonymously because he was not authorized to disclose details.


Read more @:
Update: U.S. training Syrian rebels; White House 'stepped up assistance' - latimes.com

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]I suspected this has been going on long before we knew this and Obama came out public. This does not surprise me. Special training, anti air weapons, all beginning a while back. [/FONT]
 
Anti-air weapons were not supplied.

The two-week courses include training with Russian-designed 14.5-millimeter anti-tank rifles, anti-tank missiles, as well as 23-millimeter anti-aircraft weapons, according to a rebel commander in the Syrian province of Dara who helps oversee weapons acquisitions and who asked his name not be used because the program is secret...

U.S. officials said the Obama administration and its allies may supply anti-tank weapons to help the rebels destroy armored vehicles used by Assad forces. They are less likely to provide portable anti-aircraft missiles, which the rebels say they need to eliminate Assad’s warplanes. U.S. officials fear those missiles would fall into the hands of the Al Nusra front, the largest of the Islamist militias in the rebel coalition, which the U.S. regards as an Al Qaeda ally.


News about this training broke months ago. This is recycled news presented with the latest statements by the White House.
 
Anti-air weapons were not supplied.




News about this training broke months ago. This is recycled news presented with the latest statements by the White House.

The two-week courses include training with Russian-designed 14.5-millimeter anti-tank rifles, anti-tank missiles, as well as 23-millimeter anti-aircraft weapons
 
The two-week courses include training with Russian-designed 14.5-millimeter anti-tank rifles, anti-tank missiles, as well as 23-millimeter anti-aircraft weapons

Seriously?

The US provided training on them. That's all. We've known about this training for months.


The ZU-23-2 "Sergey", also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23 mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZU-23-2


As I noted before, news of this training broke months ago. This is recycled news presented with the latest White House statements.
 
Seriously?

We provided training on them. That's all. We didn't provide anti air weapons.

So lets just train them in anti-air weapons? Then be like ehhh "yea were not providing those" :roll:
Remember we supposedly were not training them either for a while then turns out weve been doing that all along..
 
So lets just train them in anti-air weapons? Then be like ehhh "yea were not providing those" :roll:

It's an ancient Soviet weapon, common in the Syrian arsenal and acquirable by any third world group from a variety of ex-Soviet satellites and clients. Certainly not US business.

Remember we supposedly were not training them either for a while then turns out weve been doing that all along..

False. News of a training camp in Jordan, and confirmation by officials, broke months ago. The only things new in this article are the latest White House statements.
 
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It's an ancient Soviet weapon, common in the Syrian arsenal and acquirable by any third world group with a few bucks from a variety of Soviet satellites and clients. Certainly not US business.
It doesnt matter how easy it is to "acquire", or where it was made.

False. News of a training camp in Jordan, and confirmation by officials, broke months ago. The only things new in this article are the latest White House statements.
Really? It has? Ive tried to find this "months" ago with google but have not come across anything more than 23 hours ago.
 
It doesnt matter how easy it is to "acquire", or where it was made.

There is no reason to expect, let alone believe, that the 23s were supplied by the US. You're just making this up out of thin air.

Really? It has? Ive tried to find this "months" ago with google but have not come across anything more than 23 hours ago.

Yes, it has. We learned of a US training camp in Jordan supporting the rebels months ago. It was never denied by the White House, rather it was confirmed upon the story breaking.
 
There is no reason to expect, let alone believe, that the 23s were supplied by the US. You're just making this up out of thin air.
There is certainly a reason to suspect it.. We have been and are training them to use them in neighboring countries.

Yes, it has. We learned of US training camps in Jordan supporting the rebels months ago. It was never denied by the White House, it was confirmed upon the story breaking.
Only source i from are sources you would specifically disregard.. You know RT, and other "fringe blogs", and the Syrian gov.. And no the White House did not confirm it they simply claimed US were sent there to train the Jordanian military in case the civil war spills over into Jordan.
 
There is certainly a reason to suspect it.. We have been and are training them to use them in neighboring countries.

You think that the US would buy ancient Soviet gear and then give it to the rebels instead of them just purchasing it from any of many possible sources? It's pretty obvious that the 23s come from Assad and countries that have been and are supplying weapons to the rebels. There's no need or reason for the US to be involved in the acquisition, and there are a number of parties from which the weapons likely arrived.

Only source i from are sources you would specifically disregard.. You know RT, and other "fringe blogs", and the Syrian gov.. And no the White House did not confirm it they simply claimed US were sent there to train the Jordanian military in case the civil war spills over into Jordan.

?

In early March 2013, a Jordanian security source revealed that the United States, Britain, and France were training non-Islamist rebels in Jordan.[20]
Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here's the article:

West training Syrian rebels in Jordan | World news | guardian.co.uk



The White House never denied it, it even confirmed it.

As I said. This is recycled news with new blurbs from the White House. Nothing more. It seems you read it wrong.
 
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You think that the US would buy ancient Soviet gear and then give it to the rebels instead of them just purchasing it from any of many possible sources? It's pretty obvious that the 23s come from Assad and countries that have been and are supplying weapons to the rebels. There's no need or reason for the US to be involved in the acquisition, and there are a number of parties from which the weapons likely arrived.
Yes i do beleive that because the US has currently been funneling old Soviet grade weapons to the rebels through Qatar, Saudi Arabia.


You have a source boner.


Fair enough


The White House never denied it, it even confirmed it.
I found no where the White House confirming training rebels, I only found they confimring they were training the Jordanian military.

As I said. This is recycled news with new blurbs from the White House. Nothing more. It seems you read it wrong.
I dont think its recylced.
 
Read more @: [/FONT][/COLOR]Update: U.S. training Syrian rebels; White House 'stepped up assistance' - latimes.com

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]I suspected this has been going on long before we knew this and Obama came out public. This does not surprise me. Special training, anti air weapons, all beginning a while back. [/FONT]

So in other words, Obama was being deceitful but now that it's beneficial to wag the dog, get the media's attention off his multiple scandals, the White House has leaked this information to a compliant press.
 
So in other words, Obama was being deceitful but now that it's beneficial to wag the dog, get the media's attention off his multiple scandals, the White House has leaked this information to a compliant press.

Yea...... Sure..... Obama would leak something else on purpose to prove that he was lying and hiding more form the American public... Good one.. Makes literally no sense at all. And plus this isnt being covered by a lot of the bigger major national media outlets..
 
Yea...... Sure..... Obama would leak something else on purpose to prove that he was lying and hiding more form the American public... Good one.. Makes literally no sense at all. And plus this isnt being covered by a lot of the bigger major national media outlets..

1. Obama has been indicating for the better part of two years that the US will not get involved militarily or provide arms to the rebels until such time as there was proof that chemical weapons had been used by Syria against its own people. If the report you posted is true, Obama deceived - in simple terms, lied - to the American people.

2. If the report is true, and the administration has been carrying on this rebel assistance in secret, why would it be leaked to the media at this time and not before? Is it so unreasonable to assume that with Obama's tanking approval ratings and his house of scandals that the White House leaked this to a friendly member of the media to change the subject?

3. You've posted this thread under "breaking news" - that implies that the story is just surfacing - of course it hasn't been widely reported yet because the administration only leaked it to the LA Times so far - any bets it'll be played up on the Sunday talk shows and maybe supplant some scandal talk tomorrow?

It really is remarkable how naive and gullible the average Obama sychophant truly is. I wonder how getting through an average day is managed without serious injury or death.
 
How long will it be before they turn those weapons against the USA?

What weapons?

I highly doubt that a ZSU-23 is of any threat to US or Israeli aircraft. It's not like RPGs are a new thing. And the US did not supply either.
 
I dont think its recylced.

It's over three months after the story broke. The story was never denied. What's new besides the latest White House statements?
 
It's over three months after the story broke. The story was never denied. What's new besides the latest White House statements?

White House is "no comment".. And not really because it has now been officially confirmed.
 
1. Obama has been indicating for the better part of two years that the US will not get involved militarily or provide arms to the rebels until such time as there was proof that chemical weapons had been used by Syria against its own people. If the report you posted is true, Obama deceived - in simple terms, lied - to the American people.
So Obama lied to the American public about chemical weapons?
I also suspect he did but how does this have to do with anything because according to this report they have been involved since November.. Long before any suspected chemical weapons were used.
Anyways how does this at all further you're thesis that Obama is trying to get the media off multiple scandals?

2. If the report is true, and the administration has been carrying on this rebel assistance in secret, why would it be leaked to the media at this time and not before? Is it so unreasonable to assume that with Obama's tanking approval ratings and his house of scandals that the White House leaked this to a friendly member of the media to change the subject?
So it didnt get leaked earlier? So what? We have already established that partially it did but this is just now confirming.

3. You've posted this thread under "breaking news" - that implies that the story is just surfacing - of course it hasn't been widely reported yet because the administration only leaked it to the LA Times so far - any bets it'll be played up on the Sunday talk shows and maybe supplant some scandal talk tomorrow?
Doubt it. No breaking news reports anywhere on the major MSM.

It really is remarkable how naive and gullible the average Obama sychophant truly is. I wonder how getting through an average day is managed without serious injury or death.
How am i at all sticking up for Obama?
Anyways how does this further you're claim earlier?
 
So Obama lied to the American public about chemical weapons?
I also suspect he did but how does this have to do with anything because according to this report they have been involved since November.. Long before any suspected chemical weapons were used.
Anyways how does this at all further you're thesis that Obama is trying to get the media off multiple scandals?


So it didnt get leaked earlier? So what? We have already established that partially it did but this is just now confirming.


Doubt it. No breaking news reports anywhere on the major MSM.


How am i at all sticking up for Obama?
Anyways how does this further you're claim earlier?

I'm not going to say it again - your first paragraph shows you either don't understand what I said or you're intentionally trying to misrepresent my comments. I've made myself perfectly clear - agree or disagree - each to their own view of the world.
 
I'm not going to say it again - your first paragraph shows you either don't understand what I said or you're intentionally trying to misrepresent my comments. I've made myself perfectly clear - agree or disagree - each to their own view of the world.

Im pretty sure i understand you from this: "So in other words, Obama was being deceitful but now that it's beneficial to wag the dog, get the media's attention off his multiple scandals, the White House has leaked this information to a compliant press"
-You somehow think by making another scandal is going to somehow help Obama then you laid out a bunch of questions that make no sense and wouldnt help Obama out at all...
 
I'm not going to say it again - your first paragraph shows you either don't understand what I said or you're intentionally trying to misrepresent my comments. I've made myself perfectly clear - agree or disagree - each to their own view of the world.

Unfortunately, I am no longer believing much at all of what comes out from the government these days. Good evening jcj...
 
White House is "no comment".. And not really because it has now been officially confirmed.

That's not what you claimed a minute ago.

And no the White House did not confirm it they simply claimed US were sent there to train the Jordanian military in case the civil war spills over into Jordan.

You clearly accused the White House of lying about it.

You have no evidence of such.

Your proposal that the US would be responsible for ancient Soviet weapons delivery is absurd. Qatar and Saudi might be doing that, blame them.
 
Unfortunately, I am no longer believing much at all of what comes out from the government these days. Good evening jcj...

Good evening V1.1 - hope all is well

This administration really is a mess and so soon into the second term - the next three plus years will be torturous. Add to that what the Fed has done in the past half year and people are going to think America has lost it.
 
Good evening V1.1 - hope all is well

This administration really is a mess and so soon into the second term - the next three plus years will be torturous. Add to that what the Fed has done in the past half year and people are going to think America has lost it.

Given the current division the country is experiencing, I think it's already lost...
 
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