The Imaginary Cuban Troops in Syria
October 19, 2015
The Imaginary Cuban Troops in Syria
by Matt Peppe
Fair-and-balanced Fox News reported on Wednesday that Cuban military operatives reportedly have been spotted in Syria, where sources believe they are advising President Bashar al-Assads soldiers and may be preparing to man Russian-made tanks to aid Damascus in fighting rebel forces backed by the U.S. Foxs claim of an imaginary enemy alliance relies on two sources: the University of Miamis Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies and an anonymous U.S. official.
The source at the Miami Institute indicated that An Arab military officer at the Damascus airport reportedly witnessed two Russian planes arrive there with Cuban military personnel on board. When the officer questioned the Cubans, they told him they were there to assist Assad because they are experts at operating Russian tanks.
It is unclear what nationality the Arab officer was. Perhaps, said Arab determined the people aboard the Russian plane were Cubans because he saw them smoking cigars and drinking mojitos. The Cuban soldiers then volunteered supposedly they were there to assist Assad because of their expertise manning Russian tanks. However improbable this may seem to an unbiased observer, the source from the Miami Institute said that it doesnt surprise me.
The supposed U.S. official who Fox grants anonymity to without giving a reason why related evidence from intelligence reports that Cuban troops may have trained in Russia and may have come to Syria in Russian planes. Sounds legit. Despite the thinness of the reports sourcing and the improbability of its content, other news organizations were quick to parrot its claims. Spanish newspaper ABC noted the next day that media from Germany to Argentina to the Middle East had echoed the Fox News report, while ABC did the same themselves.
More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/19/the-imaginary-cuban-troops-in-syria/