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IPFS News Link • WAR: About that War

Exclusive: Syrian army starts using new weapons from Russia - military source

• http://www.reuters.com

The Syrian military has recently started using new types of air and ground weapons supplied by Russia, a Syrian military source told Reuters on Thursday, underlining growing Russian support to Damascus that is alarming the United States.

The source described the weapons as highly accurate and effective. The army had started using them in recent weeks having been trained in their use in Syria in recent months, the source said.

"New weapons are being delivered, and new types of weapons. The Syrian army is being trained in the use of these weapons. In fact, the army has started using some of these (weapon) types," the source said in response to a question about Russian support.

"The weapons are highly effective and very accurate, and hit targets precisely," the source told Reuters. "We can say they are all types of weapons - be it air or ground."

The source declined to give further details about the weapons.

Alongside Russia's military supplies to the Syrian army, an ally since Soviet times, Moscow is expanding its own forces on the ground in Syria, where more than four years of war have killed an estimated 250,000 people.

Facing a manpower problem in the army, the Syrian government has lost ground this year in the northwest, the southwest and the center of the country to an array of groups including Islamic State and other insurgents battling to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. officials said on Wednesday the United States had identified a small number of Russian helicopters at a Syrian airfield, the latest addition to what Washington believes is a significant Russian military buildup in the country.

One of the officials said four helicopters had been identified, including helicopter gunships, although it was not clear when the Russian helicopters had arrived there.


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