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Entries in Ibrahim Abu Baker (1)

Tuesday
Feb122013

Syria Live Coverage: Car Bomb on Turkey Border; Insurgents Take Major Dam

Islamist-led insurgents attack an Air Force building near the Taqaba Dam

Syria & Iran Follow-Up: The Real Story of "Syria's Iran-Hezbollah 50,000-Man Militia" in 3 Easy Steps
Syria Audio Analysis: Will There Be Negotiations? (No.) --- Scott Lucas with Monocle 24
Syria Video Feature: The Dangers of Reporting for State TV
Egypt (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protesters Block Key Building for 3rd Day
Monday's Syria Live Coverage: Fighting Escalates Near Damascus


2124 GMT: Foreign Weapons - Update. Last week we came to a provocative conclusion - there was sufficient evidence that a foreign power was arming the Syrian rebels, and those weapons were being deployed into the fight as part of a new, and far more effective, rebel strategy. We're still finding more evidence that this is true, and that the weapons are spreading, suggesting that a large amount of weapons have been smuggled into the country.

As we've also noted, those weapons were showing up in the hands of Free Syrian Army units, secular units with good reputations, and they had not been seen in the hands of Jihadists.

Until now. This was taken near Hamidiyah Military Base, southwest of Ma'arrat al Nouman (map), where rebels have been gathering to siege the power. The first, and most obvious, feature of the video is the impressive array of weaponry, from tanks to RPGs (including the RPG 29, a powerful anti-tank weapon) to 4x4s with machine guns. One of the shields on the 4x4s is painted in an Arabic prayer common to Jihadi elements. At least some of these soldiers appear to be Mujahadeen, Islamists, Jihadists, likely part of Jabhat al Nusra - not moderates. And among the weaponry, an M60 recoilless rifle is visible, part of the "foreign weapons" arsenal we've been pointing out.

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