Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — The Syrian Army has captured scores of foreign fighters,
including those from Qatar and European Union states.

Arab diplomatic sources said the Army detained Qatari military officers
as well as a senior ally of the Saudi intelligence community in the
rebel-held town of Qusair. They said the Saudi captured near the Lebanese
border was identified as an agent of the Saudi intelligence agency.

“Syria has already informed Qatar of the arrests and demanded an
explanation,” a diplomat said.

The sources said the Qatari officers had directed the flow of weapons
and funds to the Sunni revolt in Syria. They said the officers were also
mentoring rebel operations, which have included thousands of foreign
fighters.

A Lebanese parliamentarian said the Syrian Army also captured military
advisers from Belgium, Britain, France and Netherlands in Qusair. Assim
Qansou, regarded as a pro-Syrian deputy, said dozens of foreign military
officers were arrested and interrogated.

Qatar has been identified as the leading Arab supporter of the Sunni
revolt. The sources said Qatar was believed to have funneled more than $500 million to recruit fighters and procure weapons that fueled the two-year war
against Assad.

In April 2013, the European Union acknowledged that at least 500
nationals were fighting with the rebels against the regime of President
Bashar Assad. Britain, France and Ireland were said to have provided the
largest number of European fighters.

“Not all of them are radical when they leave, but most likely many of
them will be radicalized there, will be trained,” EU counter-insurgency
chief Gilles de Kerchove said.

The diplomatic sources said Qatar has denied any link to the
nationals captured in Qusair. The sources said the Doha regime has
maintained that the Qataris had long left military service and arrived
in Syria on their own.

On May 21, heavy fighting continued in Qusair, some 10 kilometers from
Lebanon. The Assad regime, aided by Iran’s proxy, Hizbullah, has reported
the capture of the eastern portion of Qusair, a town of 30,000.

“It is the most visible effort we have seen by Hizbullah to engage
directly in the fighting in Syria as a foreign force, and we understand
there are also Iranians up there,” a senior U.S. official said in a State
Department briefing on May 21. “This is an important thing to note — the
direct implication of foreigners on Syrian soil for the regime.”

  Bashar Assad, Gilles de Kerchove, Qatari officers caught aiding rebel forces, Qusair, Sunni revolt, Syrian Army detains Saudi