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Syrian Rebels Patch Together an Arsenal, Including U.S. Weapons from Iraq

(New York Times) C.J. Chivers - Mixing arms captured from their enemies with arms smuggled across borders, and adding in weapons that the rebels' supporters have made in a constellation of hidden shops, Syria's guerrilla brigades have managed to drive the conventionally equipped Syrian armed forces from areas of the northern countryside and, in certain areas, to put the government to siege. Working together at the urging of antigovernment fighters, Syrian businesses and tradesmen have organized a network engaged in making weapons. Some shops concoct explosives and propellants, others wire together the circuits for makeshift bombs. Machinists assemble rockets and mortars. Still others remove the propellant from captured tank and artillery rounds, which is then repurposed in the rebels' arms. This shadowy industry serves as an indicator of the rebels' local organization. The rebels have been aided by an unlikely source: the Pentagon's distribution of weapons for Iraq's security forces. A Sunni smuggler called Abu Khaled has been ferrying in weapons from Iraq since the uprising began. In an interview, Abu Khaled said he acquired his weapons from the Iraqi army and police officers, who freely sold old stock and weapons provided them by the U.S. "They sell everything," he said.
2012-08-29 00:00:00
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