AP: US Training Syria Rebels in Jordan Since Months

Local Editor

The Associated Press revealed Tuesday that the United States has been training Syrian fighters in Jordan for months now.

In this context, the agency quoted American and foreign officials as claiming that "Washington's move has the goal of bolstering the array of forces battling the regime while at the same time strengthening the hand of moderates among the country's fractured opposition."

"The effort is ongoing," they said.

In parallel, the officials unveiled that the training has been taking place since late last year at an unspecified location, concentrating largely on Sunnis and tribal Bedouins who formerly served as members of the Syrian army.
"The forces aren't members of the leading rebel group, the Free Syrian Army," they said, and noted that "the US and others fear the growing role of extremist militia groups in the rebel ranks, including some linked to al-Qaeda."

Officials clarified that the operation is being run by US intelligence. "Britain and France are involved," they mentioned.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the program.
Meanwhile, White House spokesman Josh Earnest claimed Monday the US has "provided some logistical nonlethal support that has also come in handy for the Syrian rebels..."
"That is something we're going to continue to work to bring to an end," he told reporters.
"Some of the Syrians the US is involved with are in turn training other Syrians inside the country," officials said.
They declined to provide more information because they said that would go too deep into intelligence matters. The CIA declined to comment.

The New York Times reported Monday that the CIA helped Arab governments and Turkey sharply increase their military aid to Syria's opposition in recent months, with secret airlifts of arms and equipment. It cited traffic data, officials in several countries and rebel commanders, and said the airlift began on a small scale a year ago but has expanded steadily to more than 160 military cargo flights by Jordanian, Saudi and Qatari planes landing at Turkish and Jordanian airports.

Source: AP, Edited by moqawama.org