A handout picture taken on October 31, 2013, shows the remains of a mortar after shelling by militants on the Damascus suburb of Jaramana.
Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf region will ‘strengthen military support’ for the foreign-backed Takfiri militants in Syria, says a US daily.The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the move came after a decision by US President Barack Obama “not to launch airstrikes against Syria.”
“Persian Gulf countries, led by Saudi Arabia, are moving to strengthen their military support for Syrian rebels and develop policy options independent from the United States,” the Post stated.
The US daily also said that the Saudis plan to “expand training facilities they operate in Jordan.”
The report came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Sunday as part of efforts to repair Washington’s frayed relations with Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia’s spy chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said last month that Riyadh’s ties with Washington have been deteriorating for a while over several issues including Syria.
According to some Persian Gulf officials whose names were not mentioned in the Post article, a parallel operation independent of US efforts is being discussed by the Saudis with other countries in the region.
In September, Saudi Arabia guaranteed to continue its financial and logistic support for the militants, including terrorist al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, during a meeting held in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. According to statistics compiled by the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the turmoil.