US State Dept. Refuses to Confirm if Syrian Rebels Might Be Armed With MANPADS

The US Department of State will not confirm if Gulf allies might arm the Syrian opposition with portable air-defense weapons, or MANPADS, to negate Russian airpower, department spokesperson Mark Toner said in a briefing on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States, Toner said, was under no illusion that a ceasefire in Syria was in effect like the one the members of the International Syrian Support Group (ISSG) envisioned roughly ten days ago.

"I am not going to confirm what anonymous US officials may or may not have said," Toner told reporters when asked about a report that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states may arm members of the Syrian opposition with MANPADS, like the United States did arm the Mujahedeen against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan some 30 years ago.

Toner added that he was not certain if US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will talk within the next 24 to 48 hours on the Syrian ceasefire.

The United States is still open to pursuing a dialogue with Russia to implement the agreement reached in Geneva because it is the best bath forward, Toner concluded.