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Former Defense Secretary Cohen says the Russians are acting more like the former Soviet Union
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More than a year now Syria has blamed its own bloody massacre on some unnamed terrorists.
But the human rights group Amnesty International now says government troops considered virtually every civilian man a terrorist.
Amnesty International just released a new report detailing chaos in nearly two dozen towns and villages in Syria.
And one worker says she witnessed soldiers crimes against humanity first hand it.
-- extra judicially executed.
Young men.
Bend down their homes.
And -- whom they arrested.
-- and tortured in detention.
And and -- was -- -- a PT gain in fact to -- every every town and everything into that we visited.
The activists say thousands of people have died at the needs of the Syrian government since the uprising began we can't confirm it.
And look at this helicopter amateur video shows it flying above the same city that the government has reportedly shelled for days.
And analysts say it is almost certainly a Russian aircraft.
A sophisticated model known as the crocodile.
They say that because of its camouflage design.
Our secretary of state Hillary Clinton blasted Russia for sending attack helicopter Russia of course -- said stop -- Hillary were not doing that.
But they are.
Gregg Jarrett is alive and in -- -- newsroom with some details this afternoon in great we're learning that these may not be helicopters but older models that Russia was indeed repairing.
The exact leadership and whether new or use the State Department says helicopters armed with missiles are equally deadly.
Well despite video evidence in Syria -- what appears to be Russian made helicopters firing missiles Russia.
Claims it does not supply Damascus with -- any weapons well today.
Syria's ambassador to Moscow admitted it does get weapons from Russia but not helicopters.
Thought that was what -- -- -- Those weapons are not prohibited by any sanctions and it is not contradict the international law -- -- not contradict the UN charter -- those weapons are pure air defense.
It was a defensive weapons.
So the Syrians and the Russian ship has seemed to be contradicting one another what's what's the latest on the ground they're great anywhere.
Lots more bloodshed ownership in Damascus -- devastating homicide car bombing wounding ten damaging -- -- Shia islam's holiest shrines western officials say.
Extremists some associated with al-Qaeda could be -- -- and after days of trying a UN convoy arrived in the town out.
I'll have talked to find it almost deserted.
-- buildings burn down shops abandoned -- a body lying in the street -- Well Gregg Jarrett live with the -- and Greg thanks let's bring in William Cohen now former Defense Secretary during the Clinton administration.
And currently the chairman of the Cohen group of business consulting firm secretary well where are we in what do we do.
Well we're not very far along in dealing with the Russians the Russians so seem to be going back to the future.
Acting more like the former Soviet Union than a new Russia.
I think that the -- Obama when he meets with president.
Who.
Really has to come to some kind of a conclusion here if this continues to go on without resolve I think you're gonna see an escalation on both sides.
Weapons are going to be flowing into the resistance it's going to be in addition to a civil war -- be more like a proxy war.
Where is.
The Sunni governments in the region supporting the resistance.
With the Iran supporting Syria.
Backed up by Russia so this has so wider implications than simply a civil war which is pretty terrific and and -- But the secretary this is and has been a proxy war among those states -- you just mentioned including.
Saudi Arabia and.
All all the rest now sure UAE others -- Turkey you know all of the countries in the region.
They are now supplying the resistance so -- -- with weaponry it's at our direction they're not.
Not according to our direction I think that they feel very strongly about this that the Syrian government has acted the way this inconsistent with international norms say the least.
And they are of supplying the of those weapons so with the of the resistance I think the United States is starting to get more involved in terms of sharing intelligence.
Providing a communications.
Here at -- But very reluctant to be talking about taking military action itself above putting Marines on the ground so to speak.
I think we have to be very careful about that because this has a tendency it could.
Really throw us a year off flame right into a tinderbox -- -- got Iran you've got Levin on a ball you have Russia would be involved Jordan all of the entire region.
So -- very careful what the United States does other than raising a -- the roof -- of criticism toward.
What Russia is doing by not really bringing Syria its client state.
To the table -- to effective resolution of the of the conflict.
The secretary to put a point on what you just said we are working with the resistance supplying intelligence and otherwise.
Yet it's my understanding that we don't really know who this resistance is or what its intentions are.
We are there are elements that we suspect in the resistance much as we saw or elsewhere throughout the so called Arab Spring.
There may be al-Qaeda elements involved which is one reason why there's some hesitancy on the part of the United States we don't exactly all the components of the resistance but nonetheless.
When you see slaughter on the level that we've been witnessing.
Something has to be done and I think short of military action by the United States.
But -- -- -- either responsibility with those in the region.
Saudi Arabia UAE he Turkey and Carter.
By way of example I think they are the closest to the action they're the ones who have -- much at stake here.
And they certainly have a sectarian interest -- ball by supporting.
The Shia the Sunni against the this year so it's much more complicated than than the what we're seeing on the surface it goes much deeper and that's why we have to take care while also trying to deal with a humanitarian issues involved.
The former Defense Secretary William Cohen is -- secretary thank you very much.
Judgment with him well.
