On January 4, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) uncovered an underground weapons cache during a search operation in the town of Tell Thahab in the newly-liberated part of the northern Homs countryside, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The weapons cache contained four US-made TOW anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), two Soviet-made Metis ATGMs, a Russian-made RPO-A thermobaric rocket launcher, a RPG-18 anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade, ammunition, explosive materials and communication systems.
Click to see full-size image, by the SANA
Click to see full-size image, by the SANA
Local observers believe that the CIA armed the militants in the northern Homs countryside with TOW missiles as a part of a secret operation to train and equip anti-government groups in Syria. The operation, which came to be known by its codename “Timber Sycamore,” was authorized by former U.S. President Barack Obama and supported by the intelligence services of the UK, Turkey and several Arab countries.
A large part of these US-supplied weapons has found its way to the hands of terrorist groups, including ISIS. In order to counter this future threat, the SAA is currently working to hunt down the remaining weapons in the newly-liberated areas in central and southern Syria.
