Syrian Militants Get New Rockets from Foreign States
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Foreign states have given Syrian militants surface-to-surface Grad rockets of a type not previously supplied to them, a militant commander told Reuters Wednesday.
The Grad rockets with a range of 22 km and 40 km have been supplied in "excellent quantities" and will be used on battlefronts in Aleppo, Hama and the coastal region, militant commander Colonel Fares al-Bayoush said.
While Grad missiles have previously been supplied to militants, Bayoush said it was the first time this particular type had been delivered. Each salvo contains 40 rockets, he said, without giving further details. The militants had previous stocks of the rocket captured from army stores, he added.
Bayoush added that there was as yet no sign of the militants being supplied with anti-aircraft missiles they have demanded.
A video posted on YouTube Monday showed Free Syrian Army militants firing Grad missiles at government positions near Aleppo. Bayoush confirmed the weapons being fired in the video were newly supplied.
Militant groups have received military aid from states opposed to Syrian president Bashar Assad via a US-backed coordination center in Turkey.
