Iranian Commander: Terrorists under Control of Syrian Army, Popular Forces

TEHRAN (FNA)- Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi dismissed media reports that the “”rebels” ” have managed to dominate over Syria through their terrorist operations, and said the terrorists are under the control of the Syrian army and popular forces.        

“The number of terrorists is not high compared to the Syrian nation and its popular army and they (terrorists) are weak,” Fiouzabadi told reporters in Tehran on Saturday, adding that the reason for the exaggeration of the terrorists’ role in the events in Syria is that they have been equipped with advanced weapons by certain countries and they cause horror by targeting and killing people.

“But it cannot be said that it is the sign of an integrated and organized move,” he underlined.

“As a military person, I am in possession of precise information about all fronts in Syria and announce that the Syrian forces, including the Syrian army or the popular forces, which include tens of thousands of trained armed forces, are in control over terrorists in all parts and the country as well as its borders are under the control of the Syrian government,” Firouzabadi added.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.

In October, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies are seeking hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots in the hope of stirring unrests in Syria once again.

The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian “rebels”  and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian “rebels”  and terrorist groups battling the President Bashar al-Assad’s government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

Opposition activists who several months ago said the “rebels”  were running out of ammunition said in May that the flow of weapons – most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past – has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.

B.N