CIA Helping to Keep Arms From Terrorist Groups in Syria

CIA operatives in southern Turkey are gathering intelligence to help allies pick which opposition groups to arm against the Syrian regime, the New York Times reported.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are funding automatic rifles, grenades, ammunition, and anti-tank weapons to be funneled into Syria. The CIA is making sure the weapons don’t end up with al Qaeda or other terrorist groups.

The CIA presence is the most detailed yet of the limited U.S. support for the campaign against Syria’s government, led by President Bashar al Assad, , the Times reported. Assad’s Russian-made tanks and weapons have been seen obliterating entire neighborhoods and towns.

The CIA operatives hope to vet opposition groups in order to make new ties and to learn more about the shifting network inside Syria. “C.I.A. officers are there and they are trying to make new sources and recruit people,” an Arab intelligence official told the Times.