by WorldTribune Staff, December 1, 2017

China will send special operations forces to Syria to support the Assad regime’s fight against militant factions, a report said.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense will deploy two units known as the “Tigers of Siberia” and the “Dark Night Tigers” to Syria, New Khaleej reported, citing informed sources.

There are unconfirmed reports that Chinese troops arrived in the Syrian-regime controlled port of Tartus on Nov. 30.

Chinese military personnel have been on the ground in Syria since at least 2016, training Syrian forces to use Chinese-made weapons.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has touted the “crucial cooperation” between Syria and Chinese intelligence against Uighur militants in Syria, adding ties with China were “on the rise.”

China, as one of the five nations with veto power on the UN Security Council, has also joined Russia in blocking UN resolutions critical of the Assad regime.

Some 5,000 ethnic Uighurs from China’s Xinjiang province are said to be fighting in various militant groups in Syria, Syria’s ambassador to China said earlier this year.

Chinese state media has blamed violence in Xinjiang on militants who were trained in Syria, adding Islamist militants seek a separate state called East Turkestan.

Uighurs say their traditional and religious way of life is being eroded by Chinese domestic policy and an influx of settlers from elsewhere in China.

Subscribe to Geostrategy-Direct __________ Support Free Press Foundation

  Bashar Assad, China reportedly set to deploy special ops ‘Dark Night Tigers’ to Syria, Dark Night Tigers, Uighurs, WorldTribune.com