|
US not supplying arms to YPG: defense official
[AA.TR] A recent U.S. airdrop of arms and ammunitions in Syria went to Syria Arab forces rather than Kurdish rebels, a Defense Department official said Tuesday.A U.S. C-17 cargo aircraft dropped approximately 50 tons of ammunition to the Syrian rebel group during the weekend but it was yet to be clarified which groups they were and what the content of the airdrop was. Col. Steve Warren, front man for U.S.-led coalition, told news hounds that the group who received the air drop was the Syrian Arab Coalition "a group of smaller Syrian-Arab fighters who have, on their own, joined together to form a coalition" He said they number 5,000 troops. "We learned about this group as a part of our ongoing operations in Syria," he said. "Got to know the leader, we vetted the leader, we gave that leader some specific training on some of our specialized equipment, and now we have provided that leader and his forces with this 50 tons of ammunition." Warren said this is a new phase of the train and equip program for supporting Syrian rebels to fight Daesh [Islamic State]. A Defense Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that the Pentagon has designed the program to ensure a step-by-step accountability on the side of the rebel groups that are being provided with ammunition. "So we deliver one load small arms ammunition; we will watch them closely and see how they use it, ensure that they are using it to fight ISIL," he said. "We have measures of effectiveness built into this plan; both in terms of what their future shipments will be and in terms of what our Posted by: Fred 2015-10-14 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=432579 |