Syria conflict: UK planned to train and equip 100,000 rebels
"The plan was called Extract, Equip, Train... a shock and awe attack that would allow the Syrians themselves to defeat Assad", reports Nick Hopkins
The UK drew up plans to train and equip a 100,000-strong Syrian rebel army to defeat President Bashar al-Assad, BBC Newsnight can reveal.
The secret initiative, put forward two years ago, was the brainchild of the then most senior UK military officer, General Sir David Richards.
It was considered by the PM and the National Security Council, as well as US officials, but was deemed too risky.
The UK government did not respond to a request for comment.
Lord Richards, as he is now, believed his proposal could stem the civilian bloodshed in Syria as rebels fought troops loyal to Mr Assad.
The idea was considered by David Cameron and Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, and sent to the National Security Council, Whitehall sources said.
Rebel fighters have also been stockpiling weapons in remote areas
It was also put to senior figures in Washington, including General Martin Dempsey, the US's most senior military officer.
While it was thought to be too radical at the time, US President Barack Obama said last week he was seeking $500m (£291m) funding to train Syrian rebels - an echo of Lord Richards' plan.
Insiders have told BBC Newsnight that Lord Richards, then chief of the defence staff but since retired from the military, warned Downing Street there were only two ways to end the Syrian civil war quickly - to let President Assad win, or to defeat him.
'Extract, equip, train'
With ministers having pledged not to commit British "boots on the ground", his initiative proposed vetting and training a substantial army of moderate Syrian rebels at bases in Turkey and Jordan.
Mr Cameron was told the "extract, equip, train" plan would involve an international coalition.
It would take a year, but this would buy time for an alternative Syrian government to be formed in exile, the PM was told.
Lord Richards was also once Nato commander in Afghanistan
Once the Syrian force was ready, it would march on Damascus, with the cover of fighter jets from the West and Gulf allies.
The plan envisaged a "shock and awe" campaign, similar to the one that routed Saddam's military in 2003, but spearheaded by Syrians.
Opportunity 'missed'
Though the plan was put to one side at the time, Mr Cameron was later persuaded to consider military action when evidence emerged of chemical weapons use in Syria.
The US and UK accused the Assad government of being behind the attacks, but Damascus blamed rebel groups.
Syria's conflict has laid waste to vast areas of towns
Monzer Akbik, spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition, an opposition alliance, said: "The international community did not intervene to prevent those crimes and at the same time did not actively support the moderate elements on the ground.
"A huge opportunity was missed and that opportunity could have saved tens of thousands of lives actually and could have saved also a huge humanitarian catastrophe."
'No good options'
Professor Michael Clarke, of the Royal United Services Institute think tank, added: "We have missed the opportunity to train an anti-Assad force that would have real influence in Syria when he is removed, as he will be.
"I think there was an opportunity two or three years ago to have become involved in a reasonably positive way, but it was dangerous and swimming against the broader tide of history… and the costs and the uncertainties were very high."
President Assad won a third term in office last month
He said it was now too late for the West to get involved.
"Western policymakers in a sense have got to have the courage to do nothing and to work on what comes after the civil war," he said.
"There are no good options over Syria. It is a slow-motion road accident."
Tens of thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced in three years of civil war in Syria.
Irak: Groot-Brittannië levert wapens aan IS
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Volgens Iraakse wetgever willen VS chaos in het land veroorzaken
INFOWARS.COM - 24 februari 2015 – Volgens het Iraanse FARS nieuwsagentschap heeft het Iraakse leger twee Britse vliegtuigen neergeschoten waarmee wapens aan Islamitische Staat (IS) werden geleverd.
“Het Nationale Veiligheids- en Defensiecomité van het Iraakse parlement heeft foto’s waarop de neergehaalde Britse vliegtuigen te zien zijn waarin wapens voor IS zaten”, aldus het hoofd van het comité Hakem al-Zameli volgens het Arabische informatiecentrum van de Islamitische Hoge Raad van Irak.
Buitenlandse en alternatieve media berichtten over het incident, maar de gevestigde media in de Verenigde Staten (VS) en Europa meldden er niets over.
Hakem al-Zameli, een senior Iraakse wetgever, voegde toe dat de huidige regering in Bagdad dagelijks informatie ontvangt van veiligheidstroepen in de provincie al-Anbar over vliegtuigen die vanuit de lucht wapens aan IS leveren.
Volgens hem willen de VS chaos in Irak creëren door IS te steunen.
Andere Iraakse wetgevers klagen over de situatie.
“Wij hebben in de bevrijde delen van de regio al-Baqdadi wapens ontdekt die in de VS, Europa en Israël zijn gemaakt”, aldus het hoofd van de al-Anbar provinciale raad Khalaf Tarmouz op de website al-Ahad.
Volgens Tarmouz zijn er tevens wapens uit Europa en Israël in Ramadi gevonden.
“De VS dropten wapens voor IS met de smoes dat ze niet weten waar IS zich bevindt en probeert met beschuldigingen de realiteit te verdraaien”, zegt hij.
“In december meldden Iraanse staatsmedia dat het Amerikaanse leger per vliegtuig wapens dropte in gebieden die in handen waren van IS.
Irakese vrijwilligers die in Yathrib en Balad, in de Iraakse provincie Salahuddin, tegen IS strijden meldden de luchtdroppingen.
Irak beweert dat het aan de winnende hand is in de strijd om land terug te winnen van de terroristische groep.
In oktober vielen wapens die ogenschijnlijk willekeurig waren gedropt net buiten Kobani in Syrië in handen van IS.
In november meldden Iraakse veiligheidsbronnen dat de VS IS actief van wapens voorzien.
“De Iraakse veiligheidsbronnen benadrukten dat de Amerikaanse legervliegtuigen meerdere hulppakketten hebben gedropt voor IS-terroristen om hen te helpen weerstand te bieden tegen het Iraakse leger en andere strijdkrachten”, aldus een van de berichten.
“De VS leveren deze wapens alleen aan degenen die samenwerken met het Pentagon, wat erop wijst dat de VS een rol spelen in het bewapenen van IS.”
Naast de legervoertuigen en handwapens, die al eerder buitgemaakt waren van het Iraakse leger, zijn nu tevens 50 155mm M-198 wapenbatterijen en 4.000 PKC machinegeweren van Amerikaanse bases gestolen.
De verwerving van geraffineerde wapens veranderde IS van een terroristische groep in een leger dat in staat is een conventionele oorlog in Irak en Syrië te voeren.
Kurt Nimmo.
Bron: Infowars.
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