Berlin’s ostensible “peace offensive” comes at a time when, various reports are exposing – independently from one another – that Washington is considering supplying the insurgents with man portable air defense systems (“MANPADS”) – or has already begun to do so. As was made known from US government circles as well as from insurgent militia contact persons, the “MANPADS” are supposed to be delivered to the militias via Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The Saudi government is convinced that the Russian military can be forced to retreat, as the Soviet troops had done in the 1980s in Afghanistan, say US government representatives. At the time, the “stinger” missiles had permitted the mujahidin the capability of shooting down Red Army helicopters, inflicting massive losses, which ultimately led to a Soviet troop withdrawal from the country. The fate of Afghanistan thereafter is well known. It was reported that Washington has enticed the insurgents with prospects of “MANPADS,” merely for shooting down Syrian helicopters, but not those of the Russians.[10] No one should believe that the insurgents will abide by this. Experts also warn that it is not only to be expected that if “MANPADS” are provided to Syrian insurgents, Iran, for example, could deliver “MANPADS” to the Houthi insurgents, its allies in Yemen, fighting Saudi troops. Above all, the Syrian insurgents could also use those “MANPADS,” they are due to be furnished, near airports, to shoot down civilian airliners.[11] It becomes that much more volatile, since from all experience, it can be expected that a large amount of the “MANPADS” will wind up in the hands of al Qaeda’s Fatah al Sham. Experts estimate that about half of the weapons that have been delivered to insurgent militias in Syria, have ended in the hands of jihadis. The same threatens to happen again.

Source: www.german-foreign-policy.com