Pentagon may help arm Syrian rebels

      Thursday September 5, 2013

Washington is considering expanding support for Syrian rebels by having the Pentagon take charge of arming the opposition instead of a clandestine effort by the CIA.


The Wall Street Journal first reported the possible change yesterday.
After concluding in June that the Syrian regime used sarin gas in a small-scale attack, President Barack Obama's administration decided to start supplying weapons to the rebels through the CIA.

But after another alleged chemical weapons attack on a larger scale the administration is looking at ratcheting up support for the rebels.
There have been complaints that promised weapons have yet to arrive, putting the opposition at a disadvantage against President Bashar al-Assad's heavily-armed forces