02-08-2012, 08:13 PM
Published Thursday, August 2, 2012
President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing US support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, US sources familiar with the matter said.
Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other US agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad.
This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the UN Security Council to agree on tougher sanctions against Damascus.
The White House is for now apparently stopping short of giving the rebels lethal weapons, even as some US allies do just that.
But US and European officials have said that there have been noticeable improvements in the coherence and effectiveness of Syrian rebel groups in the past few weeks.
That represents a significant change in assessments of the rebels by Western officials, who previously characterized Assad's opponents as disorganized, almost chaotic, rabble.
US media reported earlier in the year that the CIA was vetting arms supplied by Gulf Arab states and Turkey to ensure weapons did not fall into the hands of al-Qaeda.
But Islamist militants have nevertheless gained ground in Syria, with several media reports in the past fortnight pointing to a growing al-Qaeda presence within the rebellion.
Precisely when Obama signed the secret intelligence authorization, an action not previously reported, could not be determined.
The full extent of clandestine support that agencies like the CIA might be providing is also unclear.
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined comment.
A US government source acknowledged that under provisions of the presidential finding, the United States was collaborating with a secret command center operated by Turkey and its allies.
Last week, Reuters reported that, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey had established a secret base near the Syrian border to help direct vital military and communications support to Assad's opponents.
This "nerve center" is in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 100 km from the Syrian border, which is also home to Incirlik, a US air base where US military and intelligence agencies maintain a substantial presence.
Turkey's Islamist government has been demanding Assad's departure with growing vehemence. Turkish authorities are said by current and former US government officials to be increasingly involved in providing Syrian rebels with training and possibly equipment.
European government sources said wealthy families in Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing significant financing to the rebels.
Senior officials of the Saudi and Qatari governments have publicly called for arming Syrian rebels in the fight against Assad, with the two also suspected of financing Islamist militants.
On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen surface-to-air missiles, weapons that could be used against Assad's helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Syrian government armed forces have employed such air power more extensively in recent days.
NBC said the shoulder-fired missiles, also known as MANPADs, had been delivered to the rebels via Turkey.
On Wednesday, however, Bassam al-Dada, a political adviser to the Free Syrian Army, denied the NBC report, telling the Arabic-language TV network al-Arabiya that the group had "not obtained any such weapons at all."
US government sources said they could not confirm the MANPAD deliveries, but could not rule them out either.
Current and former US and European officials previously said that weapons supplies, which were being organized and financed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, were largely limited to guns and a limited number of anti-tank weapons, such as bazookas.
Indications are that US agencies have not been involved in providing weapons to Assad's opponents. In order to do so, Obama would have to approve a supplement known as a "memorandum of notification" to his initial broad intelligence finding.
Such memoranda would have to be signed by Obama to authorize other specific clandestine operations to support Syrian rebels.
Reuters first reported last week that the White House had crafted a directive authorizing greater US covert assistance to Syrian rebels. It was unclear at that time whether Obama had signed it.
Separately from the president's secret order, the Obama administration has stated publicly that it is providing some backing for Assad's opponents.
The state department said on Wednesday that the US government had set aside a total of $25 million for "non-lethal" assistance to the Syrian opposition. A US official said that was mostly for communications equipment, including encrypted radios.
Russia has previously accused the US of arming Syrian rebels, but this could not be confirmed.
The state department also says the United States has set aside $64 million in humanitarian assistance, including contributions to the World Food Program, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other aid agencies.
Also on Wednesday, the US treasury confirmed it had granted authorization to the Syrian Support Group, a Washington representative of one of the most active rebel factions, the Free Syrian Army, to conduct financial transactions on the rebel group's behalf.
The authorization was first reported on Friday by al-Monitor, a Middle East news and commentary website.
Last year, when rebels began organizing themselves to challenge the rule of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Obama also signed an initial "finding" broadly authorizing secret US backing for them. But the president moved cautiously in authorizing specific measures to support them.
Some US lawmakers, such as Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have criticized Obama for moving too slowly to assist the rebels and have suggested the U.S. government become directly involved in arming Assad's opponents.
Other lawmakers have suggested caution, saying too little is known about the many rebel groups.
While US and allied government experts believe that the Syrian rebels have been making some progress against Assad's forces lately, most believe the conflict is nowhere near resolution, and could go on for years.
(Reuters, Al-Akhbar)
President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing US support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, US sources familiar with the matter said.
Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other US agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad.
This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the UN Security Council to agree on tougher sanctions against Damascus.
The White House is for now apparently stopping short of giving the rebels lethal weapons, even as some US allies do just that.
But US and European officials have said that there have been noticeable improvements in the coherence and effectiveness of Syrian rebel groups in the past few weeks.
That represents a significant change in assessments of the rebels by Western officials, who previously characterized Assad's opponents as disorganized, almost chaotic, rabble.
US media reported earlier in the year that the CIA was vetting arms supplied by Gulf Arab states and Turkey to ensure weapons did not fall into the hands of al-Qaeda.
But Islamist militants have nevertheless gained ground in Syria, with several media reports in the past fortnight pointing to a growing al-Qaeda presence within the rebellion.
Precisely when Obama signed the secret intelligence authorization, an action not previously reported, could not be determined.
The full extent of clandestine support that agencies like the CIA might be providing is also unclear.
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined comment.
A US government source acknowledged that under provisions of the presidential finding, the United States was collaborating with a secret command center operated by Turkey and its allies.
Last week, Reuters reported that, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey had established a secret base near the Syrian border to help direct vital military and communications support to Assad's opponents.
This "nerve center" is in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 100 km from the Syrian border, which is also home to Incirlik, a US air base where US military and intelligence agencies maintain a substantial presence.
Turkey's Islamist government has been demanding Assad's departure with growing vehemence. Turkish authorities are said by current and former US government officials to be increasingly involved in providing Syrian rebels with training and possibly equipment.
European government sources said wealthy families in Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing significant financing to the rebels.
Senior officials of the Saudi and Qatari governments have publicly called for arming Syrian rebels in the fight against Assad, with the two also suspected of financing Islamist militants.
On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen surface-to-air missiles, weapons that could be used against Assad's helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Syrian government armed forces have employed such air power more extensively in recent days.
NBC said the shoulder-fired missiles, also known as MANPADs, had been delivered to the rebels via Turkey.
On Wednesday, however, Bassam al-Dada, a political adviser to the Free Syrian Army, denied the NBC report, telling the Arabic-language TV network al-Arabiya that the group had "not obtained any such weapons at all."
US government sources said they could not confirm the MANPAD deliveries, but could not rule them out either.
Current and former US and European officials previously said that weapons supplies, which were being organized and financed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, were largely limited to guns and a limited number of anti-tank weapons, such as bazookas.
Indications are that US agencies have not been involved in providing weapons to Assad's opponents. In order to do so, Obama would have to approve a supplement known as a "memorandum of notification" to his initial broad intelligence finding.
Such memoranda would have to be signed by Obama to authorize other specific clandestine operations to support Syrian rebels.
Reuters first reported last week that the White House had crafted a directive authorizing greater US covert assistance to Syrian rebels. It was unclear at that time whether Obama had signed it.
Separately from the president's secret order, the Obama administration has stated publicly that it is providing some backing for Assad's opponents.
The state department said on Wednesday that the US government had set aside a total of $25 million for "non-lethal" assistance to the Syrian opposition. A US official said that was mostly for communications equipment, including encrypted radios.
Russia has previously accused the US of arming Syrian rebels, but this could not be confirmed.
The state department also says the United States has set aside $64 million in humanitarian assistance, including contributions to the World Food Program, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other aid agencies.
Also on Wednesday, the US treasury confirmed it had granted authorization to the Syrian Support Group, a Washington representative of one of the most active rebel factions, the Free Syrian Army, to conduct financial transactions on the rebel group's behalf.
The authorization was first reported on Friday by al-Monitor, a Middle East news and commentary website.
Last year, when rebels began organizing themselves to challenge the rule of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Obama also signed an initial "finding" broadly authorizing secret US backing for them. But the president moved cautiously in authorizing specific measures to support them.
Some US lawmakers, such as Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have criticized Obama for moving too slowly to assist the rebels and have suggested the U.S. government become directly involved in arming Assad's opponents.
Other lawmakers have suggested caution, saying too little is known about the many rebel groups.
While US and allied government experts believe that the Syrian rebels have been making some progress against Assad's forces lately, most believe the conflict is nowhere near resolution, and could go on for years.
(Reuters, Al-Akhbar)
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass