|
Trending Topics
|
New Weapons Push Syrian Crisis Toward Civil War
(New York Times) Mark Landler and Neil MacFarquhar - With evidence that powerful new weapons are flowing to both the Syrian government and opposition fighters, the bloody uprising in Syria shows signs of mutating into a full-fledged civil war. The fierce government assaults using helicopters to fire on rebel-held enclaves are partly a response to improved tactics and weaponry among the opposition forces, which have recently received more powerful anti-tank missiles from Turkey, with the financial support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The U.S. was consulted about these weapons transfers, activists said. Herve Ladsous, the head of UN peacekeeping operations, explained, "The government of Syria lost some large chunks of territory and several cities to the opposition and wants to retake control of these areas."