On October 17, the Turkish-backed National Syrian Army (NSA) released videos of its militants using U.S.-made TOW anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The videos show Turkish-backed militants destroying a DShK 12.7 mm machine gun and an anti-tank missile launcher of the Kurdish-led group in the outskirt of the border town of Ras al-Ayn.
#الجيش_الوطني_السوري#نبع_السلام
تدمير رشاش دوشكا لعصابات PKK/PYD الإرهابية بصاروخ مضاد دروع على محور راس العينhttps://t.co/SlMrgUb1fM pic.twitter.com/OW12HJOAqq— عملية نبع السلام – Barış Pınarı Harekatı (@BarPnarHarekat2) October 17, 2019
#الجيش_الوطني_السوري#نبع_السلام
تدمير قاعدة م.د لعصابات PKK/PYD الإرهابية بصاروخ مضاد دروع على جبهة راس العين pic.twitter.com/s9zosumWbc— عملية نبع السلام – Barış Pınarı Harekatı (@BarPnarHarekat2) October 17, 2019
This was the first recorded use of the U.S.-made weapon against the SDF since the beginning of the Turkish-led Operation Peace Spring in northeast Syria earlier this month.
Hundreds of TOW missiles were supplied by the U.S. as a part of its operation to train and equip anti-government groups in Syria. The operation, codenamed “Timber Sycamore,” was authorized by then President Barack Obama in 2013. Three years later it was halted by President Donald Trump.
A large part of the weapons supplied during operation Timber Sycamore reached the hands of terrorist organizations such as ISIS and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra). The NSA is now appearenly using what’s left of these missiles against the SDF, the main ‘US ally’ in Syria.
