BGM-71 TOW is one badass weapon. While intended for tanks it can be used against about any target in its range.
BGM-71 TOW missile
Syrian opposition fighters obtain U.S.-made TOW antitank missiles
Syria’s opposition fighters have been supplied with U.S.-made antitank missiles, the first time a major American weapons system has appeared in rebel hands.
It is unclear how the rebels obtained the wire-guided missiles, which are capable of penetrating heavy armor and fortifications and are standard in the U.S. military arsenal. The United States has sold them in the past to Turkey, among other countries, and the Pentagon approved the sale of 15,000 of the weapons to Saudi Arabia in December. Both countries aid Syrian opposition groups.
U.S. officials declined to discuss the origin of the weapons but did not dispute that the rebels have them.
Their appearance in Syria coincides with a U.S. commitment this year to escalate a CIA-run program to supply and train vetted “moderate†rebel groups and to improve coordination with other opposition backers.
“The United States is committed to building the capacity of the moderate opposition, including through the provision of assistance to vetted members of the moderate armed opposition,†said National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. “As we have said, we are not going to detail every single type of our assistance.â€
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Syria’s opposition fighters have been supplied with U.S.-made antitank missiles, the first time a major American weapons system has appeared in rebel hands.
It is unclear how the rebels obtained the wire-guided missiles, which are capable of penetrating heavy armor and fortifications and are standard in the U.S. military arsenal. The United States has sold them in the past to Turkey, among other countries, and the Pentagon approved the sale of 15,000 of the weapons to Saudi Arabia in December. Both countries aid Syrian opposition groups.
U.S. officials declined to discuss the origin of the weapons but did not dispute that the rebels have them.
Their appearance in Syria coincides with a U.S. commitment this year to escalate a CIA-run program to supply and train vetted “moderate†rebel groups and to improve coordination with other opposition backers.
“The United States is committed to building the capacity of the moderate opposition, including through the provision of assistance to vetted members of the moderate armed opposition,†said National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. “As we have said, we are not going to detail every single type of our assistance.â€
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