World Tribune: Syrian Army Crushes US-backed Rebel Assault from Jordan

Local Editor

The World Tribune daily revealed Tuesday that "Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has defeated a US effort to use Jordan as a launching pad for the overthrow of his regime."

Quoting Western diplomatic sources, the British daily highlighted that "al-Assad's military and security forces crushed a US campaign to send hundreds of trained and equipped rebels from Jordan to regain a key city in southern city."

The sources said a force sponsored by the so-called Free Syrian Army failed to reach even 10 kilometers within Syria before the armed groups were detected and attacked by the Syrian Army.
"This was a well-trained and equipped force meant to eventually reach Damascus and overthrow the regime," a source said. "Instead, the rebels crossed the Jordanian border and within hours were on the run."

The sources said the FSA force, with fighters from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, consisted of two battalion-size units, or nearly 600 fighters.
The sources said the fighters, trained by the CIA as well as Jordan's Special Operations Force Command, were equipped with anti-tank, anti-aircraft missiles as well as night-vision systems.

Most of the equipment was said to have come from the former Yugoslavia.
Since late 2012, Jordan has served as the main venue for the US-sponsored project to train and equip Syrian rebels.
On Aug. 17, the two FSA units crossed the Jordanian border for the nearby Syrian city of Derra, a distance of fewer than 15 kilometers. But the sources said the FSA fighters were immediately besieged by Druse and Bedouin militias.

Within hours, Syrian Army units arrived and pursued FSA fighters west toward the Golan Heights and the frontier with "Israel". The daily's sources clarified: "The CIA plan was simple: To establish an FSA presence in southern Syria that would serve as a magnet for other opposition forces to march on to Damascus," the second source said.
By Aug. 20, the sources said, the FSA force, which contained Western mercenaries disguised as rebels, was routed, with elements besieged by Syrian Army units. They said the FSA defeat ended US hopes of using Jordan for a rapid rebel advance that could decide the Syrian war in 2013.

The sources said the defeat highlighted the increasing isolation of Washington in directing the armed groups campaign in Syria.
"The Americans have been pursuing this Benghazi strategy for more than a year despite the fact that Syria is not Libya, Assad is certainly not Gadhafi, and that Damascus has powerful allies that are fighting to save the regime," the second source said. "But the feeling among the allies is that America is not listening."

Source: World Tribune, Edited by website team