Syria row: No 10 admits ‘70,000 fighters’ figure made up of disparate groups

Last Updated: December 5, 2015By

Downing Street has admitted that the 70,000 “moderate” fighters in Syria prepared to join the UK and its allies in attacking Islamic State are made up of a number of “disparate” groups.

As David Cameron insisted that airstrikes against Isis targets would help moves towards a political settlement in Syria by attacking “everyone’s enemy”, No 10 acknowledged it would be difficult to coordinate the forces.

Downing Street clarified the position after the Times (paywall) and the Sun reported that military officials had warned No 10 against claiming that the 70,000 “moderate” fighters were prepared to join the battle against Isis. The estimate was approved by the joint intelligence committee.

The two newspapers reported that officials in the Ministry of Defence were concerned that the claim would be a hostage to fortune and would revive memories of the 45 minutes claim in the Downing Street dossier in September 2002 that preceded the Iraq war. The 2002 dossier was also approved by the JIC.

Labour said the warnings from military officials confirmed that the 70,000 claim had collapsed. “The 70,000 figure has completely fallen apart,” one Labour source said. “Almost nobody believes it.”

Source: Syria row: No 10 admits ‘70,000 fighters’ figure made up of disparate groups | Politics | The Guardian

Join the Vox Political Facebook page.

If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!

Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(
but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:

Donate Button with Credit Cards

Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.

Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

HWG PrintHWG eBook

The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:

SWAHTprint SWAHTeBook

latest video

news via inbox

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

5 Comments

  1. lorna carr December 5, 2015 at 2:50 am - Reply

    Tories lying?? Surprise surprise!

  2. roybeiley December 5, 2015 at 2:55 pm - Reply

    A number of “disparate groups” fighting a common enemy? So, when and IF ISIS is “defeated” will these “disparate groups” still be there a unified force to take over? Will the West then be the common enemy?. But the West will be in a hurry to cease fighting altogether and will leave the to their own devices. The temporary unified group will revert then to being disparate again and will fight amongst themselves for supremacy. ISIS or something like it will be reborn. What goes around comes around.

  3. Jarrow December 5, 2015 at 4:29 pm - Reply

    And those 70,000 fighters – nice round number that!- can be assembled and ready to use within 45-minutes no doubt.

  4. Dez December 5, 2015 at 7:44 pm - Reply

    Surely not more lies to get their policy passed…..those nice Cons don’t do dirty tricks…do they?? So much for their lying post election promise of transparent and truthful public information…..baaah humbug!!

  5. john December 5, 2015 at 11:30 pm - Reply

    Typical backtrack politics, like the weapons of mass destruction …..

Leave A Comment