NATO To Send ‘Terrorists’ Trained In Syria’s Al-Tanf Garrison To Ukraine: Russian Intelligence
Green Berets and their partner force, the Maghaweir al-Thowra (MaT), during a joint patrol mission near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, April 29, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Howard)
The NATO is preparing to send “terrorists” trained in Syria to fight Russian forces in Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) warned on March 4.
According to the intelligence service, the “terrorists” were trained at the US al-Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria. The service warned that the US continues to form new “terrorist units” in the Middle East and Africa in order to send them to Ukraine via Poland.
Around 200 US troops are currently deployed at al-Tanf. The garrison, which was established in 2016, also hosts hundreds of US-backed Syrian fighters. Some of these fighters are reportedly affiliated with ISIS.
Moreover, the US maintains a number of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in the garrison. These systems can be armed with MGM-140 ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles with a range of 300 kilometers.
The US-led coalition maintains a 55-kilometer no-fly zone around al-Tanf garrison. Despite this, the Russian Aerospace Forces, which operates from Hmeimim Air Base on the Syrian coast, conduct reconnaissance sorties over the area on a regular basis.
The last Russian reconnaissance sortie over al-Tanf was on February 20, four days before the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
The SVR’s warning coincided with reports of suspicious movements in al-Tanf. On March 4, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that a large US logistic convoy entered the garrison from Jordan. US-backed fighters in the garrison were placed on high alert.
The US may not be the only side trying to funnel militants from Syria to Ukraine. Several recent reports revealed plans to send Turkish-backed Syrian militants to fight against Russian forces in the country.
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