Foreign states have given gunmen operating in Syria surface-to-surface Grad rockets of a type not previously supplied to them in response to a major Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo, an armed group commander said.

The Grad rockets with a range of 22 km and 40 km have been supplied in “excellent quantities” and will be used on battlefronts in Aleppo, Hama and the coastal region, commander Colonel Fares al-Bayoush stated.

While Grad missiles have previously been supplied to armed groups, Bayoush told Reuters it was the first time this particular type had been delivered.

“Each salvo contains 40 rockets,” he said, without giving further details. The gunmen had previous stocks of the rocket captured from army stores, he added.

A video posted on YouTube on Monday showed Free Syrian Army gunmen firing Grad missiles at government positions near Aleppo. Bayoush confirmed the weapons being fired in the video were newly supplied.

Armed groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner have received military aid from states opposed to President Bashar al-Assad via a US-backed coordination center in Turkey, Reuters said.

Source: Al-Manar Website