Syrian rebels describe U.S.-backed training in Qatar in new documentary

[LuckyTheDog]

With reports indicating that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad are gaining ground in that country's brutal civil war, moderate Syrian rebels have told a visiting journalist that the United States is arranging their training in Qatar.

In a documentary to be aired Tuesday night, the rebels describe their clandestine journey from the Syrian battlefield to meet with their American handlers in Turkey and then travel on to Qatar, where they say they received training in the use of sophisticated weapons and fighting techniques, including, one rebel said, "how to finish off soldiers still alive after an ambush."

The interviews are the latest evidence that after more than three years of warfare, the United States has stepped up the provision of lethal aid to the rebels. In recent months, at least five rebel units have posted videos showing their members firing U.S.-made TOW anti-tank missiles at Syrian positions. The weapons are believed to have come from Saudi Arabia, but experts on international arms transfers have told McClatchy that they could not have been given to the rebels without the approval of the Obama administration.

The documentary, produced by "Frontline" for airing on PBS stations, features journalist Muhammad Ali, who has been following the Syrian civil war for the program. It shows Ali meeting up with a seemingly moderate faction of the rebels, though the faction itself is not identified — apparently for fear of angering its American contacts.

MORE HERE: http://wonkynewsnerd.com/syrian-rebels-describe-u-s-backed-training-qatar-new-documentary/

[ozone_man]

1. Obama is working on another Noble peace prize.

This ought to be an interesting documentary.

(This article is the latest in a collaboration between McClatchy and PBS's "Frontline" on the war in Syria. The "Frontline" film "Syria: Arming the Rebels" airs Tuesday, May 27, on most PBS stations. Check local listings.)

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Our Syria policy is bone-headed and cynical.

The rebels are strategically defeated. Assad, and all his supporters, aren't going anywhere.

All that providing more weapons and training for the rebels does is ensure that more Syrians die for a lost cause.

Not to mention that the boundaries between the "good" rebels and the Al Qaeda-linked rebels are pretty permeable. Any weapons we provide could end up in the hands of our sworn enemies. Wouldn't that be ironic?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Getting involved in civil wars has been sooo productive. See Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan,

Laos, Iran, Greece, Angola, and many others that we've "helped" in.

[woo me with science]

4. I feel sick.

Not surprised. Just sick.