Syria militants admit receiving US anti-tank missiles

Foreign-backed terrorists fighting the Syrian Army south of the northern city of Aleppo say countries opposing the government of President Bashar al-Assad have sent them new supplies of US-made anti-tank missiles.

Militants from three groups affiliated with the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) said they received the new supplies after the Syrian Army and its allies started an offensive against them on October 16.

Meanwhile, unnamed militants from one of the groups said the quantities are not enough. "A few will not do the trick. They need dozens," said one of the militants.

Under a program backed by the United States, a number of militant groups in Syria have been supplied with arms delivered via neighboring Turkey. The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has also provided the terrorists with military training.

Earlier this month, Washington announced that the US military is continuing to “equip” foreign-backed terrorists in Syria despite admitting failure and “a pause” in its 500-million-dollar program to train what it boasts as “moderate” militants in the Arab nation.

The administration of President Barack Obama announced the military training scheme last year and the Pentagon was granted USD 500 million for the plan in 2015. Washington's stated goal is to train 15,000 armed militants in three years.

Despite the US admission of only having a handful of “moderate” terrorists fighting in Syria, Washington has fiercely criticized Russia in recent days for targeting mainly the “moderate” militants in its air campaign against terrorist positions, ammunition depots and bomb-making plants across Syria.

Russia started its air campaign against Daesh Takfiri militants and other terrorists in Syria on September 30, based on a request by the Syrian government.

Syrian army advances

The development comes as the Syrian troops, backed by Russian airstrikes, are advancing toward an airbase besieged by the Daesh terrorists near Aleppo.

According to an unnamed Syrian military official, the military took control of the village of Bkayze, located about seven kilometers (4 miles) from the airbase in the Aleppo province on Monday.

Activists have also said that the government troops managed to capture two other villages near the base over the past day.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The crisis has claimed lives of more than 250,000 people so far and displaced millions.

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