Syria rebels have US-made Stinger missiles - Russia

RUSSIA: Syrian rebels battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad have shoulder-launched missile systems, including US-made Stingers, Russia’s top general claimed Wednesday, prompting a strong denial from Washington.

Russian chief of staff General Nikolai Makarov, whose country is the Damascus regime’s top arms supplier and has refused to back the opposition, said it was not clear who had delivered the weapons.

“We have information that the rebels fighting the Syrian army have shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles of several states, including Stingers made in the United States,” he said quoted by the Interfax news agency. “We need to still find out who has delivered them,” he said.

The United States vehemently disputed the allegation, challenging Moscow to provide proof.

“We have provided no Stingers of any kind to Syria, nor will we,” said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. “If the Russian Federation has evidence of Stingers in the hands of the opposition, we’d like to see it”.

Makarov said it was possible that these and other weapons could have been delivered to the rebels from abroad on several means of transport, including passenger planes. “For this, all kinds of transport could be activated, including civil aviation. This is a serious matter,” Makarov said.

US broadcaster NBC News reported in July that the rebel Free Syrian Army had obtained two dozen surface-to-air missiles (man-portable air-defence systems known as MANPADS), delivered via Turkey.

“The Americans say that they have not delivered anything to the rebels,” said Makarov. AFP