Special to WorldTribune.com

LONDON — Jordan is said to be helping the West train Syrian
rebels.

Western media reports asserted that Jordan was overseeing a U.S. program
to train thousands of Sunni rebels against the regime of Syrian President
Bashar Assad. They said Washington was focusing on the Free Syrian Army,
which was undergoing training in two camps in Jordan.

“The United States has secretly stepped up its assistance to Syrian
rebels,” the German weekly Der Spiegel, said. “The aim is to create a
powerful fighting force against Assad the despot.”

On March 10, Der Spiegel said 200 Sunni rebels were trained by U.S.
military advisers in Jordan since December 2012. The German magazine said the U.S. training concentrated on the use of anti-tank weapons, with units directed by a command and control facility for the southern Syrian province of Dera.

“As a result, Washington has made a strategic shift in its Syrian
policy,” Der Spiegel said.

The training was said to have been financed by Saudi Arabia and included
the procurement of modern Libyan-origin rocket-propelled grenades and
anti-aircraft missiles. Der Spiegel said FSA was being prepared to receive
100 vehicles with anti-aircraft artillery and machine guns.

The British daily Guardian also said Washington was helping the Syrian
rebels in Jordan. In a report on March 9, the Guardian said the United
States recruited Britain and France in the training program.

“Such technical assistance can include assistance, advice and training
on how to maintain security in areas no longer controlled by the regime, on
coordination between civilian and military councils, on how to protect
civilians and minimize the risks to them, and how to maintain security
during a transition,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said. “We will
now provide such assistance, advice and training.”

  Bashar Assad, Free Syrian Army, Reports: Jordan hosting secret U.S. training program for Syrian rebels, William Hague