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Syrian Resort to Heavy Weapons a Sign of Strain as Troops Defect
(Bloomberg) Glen Carey - Assad's forces have been employing heavier weapons because "they don't have enough combat maneuver units to deal with the rebellion," according to Jeffrey White, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Syria's government has become more reliant on heavy weaponry including attack aircraft, helicopter gunships, artillery and tanks as lightly armed rebels win and hold ground in the biggest cities. The Syrian army's full-time strength is about 220,000. Yet the fighting has reduced its effectiveness as a military force and its manpower may now be only about 100,000, White estimates, while the remaining units "aren't necessarily fighting very well." "Statistically the regime has considerable power, but the part that can be used is very small," said Mustafa Alani, an analyst at the Geneva-based Gulf Research Center.