Syrian rebels in Homs taking up a position as they fight with government forces (file photo) |
Thu Feb 9, 2012 11:39PM
An intelligence report says that British are providing logistic support to armed terrorist groups in the Syrian city of Homs in their bloody battle against civilians and the Syrian army forces.
The report published by Debka-file, which is widely believed to have close links to Israeli intelligence sources, revealed that British and Qatari forces supply ammunition and direct tactical support to armed groups in Homs to prepare the ground for a covert Turkish military operation in Syria.
According to the report, the presence of British and Qatari forces in Homs was high on the agenda during a Tuesday meeting between Syrian officials and the head of Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Mikhail Fradkov.
Secret Intelligence Service MI6, which collects Britain’s foreign intelligence, has also set up four bases in Homs to facilitate Turkey’s secret military operations in the Arab state.
While Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani made a proposal in January to deploy troops in Syria, Britain insists that it does not seek military action against the Syrian government.
Britain’s presence in Syria is a highly debated parliamentary issue in that country as the British government will have to bear another heavy burden of war if it carries out a Libya-style military operation in Syria.
Homs, one of the main focuses of terrorist groups fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has witnessed a number of acts of deadly violence since the beginning of the unrest in the country 11 months ago.
Meanwhile on Thursday, eight Syrian government forces were killed by armed terrorist groups in Homs and Idleb.
In recent days violence has been raging in Homs, where Syrian media say over 100 government troops have been killed.
The Syrian government has repeatedly accused several Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, of fueling the unrest in the country by providing armed gangs with weapons and financial resources to incite civil war and topple the government of President Bashar al-Asad.
MHB/MF/MA