Though Moscow may seem taking the lead on the diplomatic front in Syrian conflict, the behind-scene war between the US and Russia continues and appears even to be escalating.
In the world of foreign policy chess game, every move counts as the one made by the US which has reportedly started sending weapons to the Syrian rebels.
After they were trained by the CIA to enable them to stand up to the army of Bashar Assad, these units managed lately to sneak into the warzone and received the first shipment of US weapons.
The delivery of these weapons was delayed due to logistical problems and fears that they fall into the hands of extremist jihadists. The weapons are said to be just light arms and ammunitions. Not what the fighters wanted: night-vision goggles and body armor, antitank & antiaircraft missiles and other heavy weaponry.
According to some experts, the delivery of these weapons marks a watershed in the Syrian conflict as the insurgents and opposition factions started showing signs of disappointment and anger over Washington’s hesitation and decision to halt strike against Syrian regime.
They don’t believe Assad will ever give up his chemical weapons. They say he is just playing the West with the help of Russia under the growing threat of military action. They think he will get away with his crimes committed against civilians after gassing his own people and using banned chemicals weapons under the watch of international community. Syria has always denied possessing chemicals and now it says it will relinquish its stockpile.
Despite their anger, the rebels welcomed the US arms which started arriving along with some sophisticated communications equipment and advanced combat medical kits.
The Congress has authorized the CIA to reprogram its budget to fund the Syria operation. But some US war hawks and particularly neocons doubt the operation will success or make a big difference on the ground, calling for strong response not limited action against a relentless dictator like Saddam.
