Hundreds of protesters gather in Cairo in support of Syrian opposition

        
Hundreds of pro Free Syrian Army demonstrators gathered in front of mosque in Cairo on Friday to show their support for the Syrian opposition as they continued to battle government forces across Syria.             

The demonstrators held their rally after outside the Amr Ibn El As mosque after the US administration said they would start arming the rebels following claims that forces loyal to the Syrian government had used chemical weapons.        

One demonstrator complained that it should have been the Arab countries arming the rebels instead of Washington.          

The US decision to begin arming the rebels, though details have not been completed, marks a deepening of US involvement in Syria's two-year civil war.         

It comes as President Bashar Assad's forces have been scoring victories, driving rebels out of a key town near the Lebanese border and launching offensives in the center and north, targeting Aleppo, the nation's largest city.          

US officials said the administration could provide the rebel fighters with a range of weapons, including small arms, ammunition, assault rifles and a variety of anti-tank weaponry such as shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades and other missiles.         

However, no final decisions have been made on the type of weaponry nor when it would reach the rebels, according to the officials, who insisted on anonymity in order to discuss internal administration discussions with reporters.        

In addition to the increased military aid, the US also announced on Thursday it had conclusive evidence that Assad's regime has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against opposition forces.       

The White House said multiple chemical attacks last year killed up to 150 people.             


AP