The US military flew Soviet-style weaponry to the Syrian opposition in a bid to overthrow an elected head of state in Syria via a German military base without the correct permits.
The weapons transfer came to light after a report by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), which showed the US military had allegedly bought $2.2 billion worth of aged Soviet weaponry for use in the Syrian civil war.
The Americans may have broken the law as the German federal government did not approve any permits for weapons flown via a US military base in Ramstein, southwest Germany.
Ramstein serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also for NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM).
BIRN reported that US forces may have falsified the paperwork required, as the end user certificates required to export the weapons reference use by the US government only – making no mention of Syria.
While the German government said in a statement on Thursday that it had no knowledge of the weapons transfer to Syria via Ramstein, the German federal prosecution service has however confirmed it will carry out an initial investigation into allegations.
According to reports, an estimated shipment by the US of more than $700 million of weapons and ammunition were funneled to foreign fighters since September 2015.
A Department of Defense budget document shows the US military gave an estimated $250 million to arm and train the Syrian rebels for this year.
United States Special Operations Command refused to comment on the allegations, but added that it did not currently “store or transit” weapons destined for Syria using German bases and had “specifically directed” its agents not to do so.
By all indications, the United States never informed the German government of these shipments, nor was there any evidence that Germany ever gave even tacit permission for such shipments.
That would mean that the transfers were a violation of German law, and while the German government would like to ignore it, that’s not to say it won’t have consequences. Public protests surrounding the US military presence in the country will likely grow stronger at suggestions that the US willfully violated German law.
US arms to Syria have been mostly ended up in the hands of jihadists and Germany’s surprise complicity would be viewed by many as too cynical.
The German government may choose to ignore it, as it did with the massive illegal spying scandal on German leaders which as revealed by whistelblower Edward Snowden.