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Syrian Rebels Armed by the Syrian Army

(GlobalPost.com) Tracey Shelton - At the Free Syrian Army base at Jabal al-Zawiya, Hamza Fatahallah, an army defector who joined the FSA nine months ago, told me: "We have caught many army prisoners. We send them back home for a small amount of money on the condition they do not return to the regime. We use the money to buy weapons." Prisoner exchanges have so far contributed almost $80,000 toward weapons purchases, he said. Their main supplier for ammunition is Syria's national army. While most of the sellers are corrupt officers, lower-ranking soldiers have occasionally stolen weapons and sold them to rebel forces. Fatahallah estimated that his village purchased 40% of their weapons from the regime. They obtain an additional 50% of their weapons during battle. The remaining 10% are donated and smuggled from outside the country, or are purchased from private merchants, mostly from Iraq.
2012-06-11 00:00:00
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