Special to WorldTribune.com

LONDON — Syria’s rebel army, based in Turkey, has reported shortages in weapons
and funds.

The Free Syrian Army has urged Arab and other opponents of the regime of
President Bashar Assad to rush aid to the rebel force.

“If the FSA had greater capabilities the situation on the ground would be very different, and we would have overthrown the regime by now,” an unidentified senior FSA commander said.

In December, Turkey froze FSA bank accounts as part of an attempt
to submit the rebels to SNC rule. Russia has accused Turkey of coordinating
with the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council states to launch
military operations in Syria.

“Turkey’s position, until now, remains unclear, and this is something
that will negatively impact on the Syrian revolution in general and the FSA
in particular,” the commander said.

FSA sources said the rebel army, led by Col. Riad Assad and not related to the president, was being marginalized in the Arab world by the Islamist-oriented Syrian National Council. They said SNC has urged its backers, particularly Qatar and Turkey, not to allow the largely secular FSA to become a leading opposition group.

FSA sources said the Turkish-based fighters needed weapons and money to advance in the nine-month revolt.

In an interview with the Saudi-owned A-Sharq Al Awsat, the FSA commander said the rebel force was limited to light weapons, particularly AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. He said many of the weapons were brought by deserters or purchased from security officers.

“We obtain these weapons from a number of sources, and this includes
defectors who bring weapons with them, as well as from successful attacks
[on the Syrian Army],” the FSA commander said. “At the same time, we also
purchase a large proportion of our arms from the pro-regime Shabiha
militia.”

Despite its bloody attacks on protesters, the Alawite-dominated Shabiha
was said to have been engaged in selling weapons. An RPG was said to command
$500 while a Kalashnikov rifle was available for $1,000.

FSA claims a membership of between 15,000 and 20,000 fighters, most of
them army deserters and Sunnis. The rebel force was said to train in
neighboring Turkey and maintains a presence in Jordan and Lebanon.

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