Moscow rattled: Syrian rebels ‘trained in Libya’ by militants tied to Al Qaida

Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Libya is said to have been training Syrian rebels
sworn to oust President Bashar Assad.

Diplomats said Libya was believed to be hosting a camp for the training
of Syrian rebels linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. They said the camp as
well as equipment and training was being financed by Qatar, which has called
for military intervention in Syria.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin. /Reuters/Keith Bedford

“We are concerned by reports that in Libya, with the support of the
authorities, there is a special training center for the so-called Syrian revolutionaries,” Russian envoy to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, said.

In an address to the Security Council on March 7, Churkin said the
rebels were being trained in Libya and then sent to fight against Assad’s military and security forces. The diplomat did not elaborate.

“This is unacceptable,” Churkin said. “This activity is undermining
stability in the Middle East.”

Diplomats said hundreds of Syrian rebels as well as volunteers were being trained and equipped in Libya. They said the rebels as well as Islamic fighters in Libya were entering Syria through such countries as Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey. Russia has determined that 15,000 Sunni rebels were in Syria

“Most of the militants are indeed directly or closely affiliated with Al
Qaida,” Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Mikhail Lebedev, said on March 8.

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