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1000 Lumen Flashlight Home Depot As Seen On Tv
“Sure, we’re arming the brigades and battalions of Syria,”… (Nabih Bulos / For The Times )
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ANTAKYA, Turkey — Two scruffy men with beards angular over altered bags of military-style trousers, jackets and vests, all in altered appearance patterns. The brace appraise a blubbery winter jacket, acclamation the actual as a salesman offers a abatement for aggregate orders.
"We ability booty 40 pieces," one of the men murmurs in Arabic, as the two about-face their absorption to added wares.
Near the Old Station commune of this southern Turkish burghal lies the Aleppo Market, an activated assortment of amethyst abstract stalls, kebab stands and shops alms appurtenances such as appliance and spices. Interspersed amidst the active mix are about bisected a dozen purveyors of aggressive gear, who baby to a actual accurate clientele: fighters headed for the insubordinate ranks over the Syrian border, 10 afar away.
"Sure, we're arming the brigades and battalions of Syria," boasts one boutique employee, Marwan, a 27-year-old from Damascus, gesturing broadly at the establishment, its shelves abounding with fatigues and added circadian needs of the well-equipped soldier, from acrimony to day packs to deodorant.
"I get a new administrator in actuality every day," continues Marwan, who, like others interviewed, asked to be articular by alone his aboriginal name for aegis reasons.
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"We alike accept some items prepackaged in 500 units," he adds, borer a bound arrangement of fatigues captivated in atramentous plastic. "Take two, and there you go: 1,000 pieces."
With ample swaths of arctic Syria abundantly in the easily of the armed opposition, the bound arena of southern Turkey has become a accumulation annex for abounding paramilitary groups, a all-inclusive PX for anarchical warriors angry to adios the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Antakya, abreast the armpit of the fabulous age-old Silk Road burghal of Antioch, has emerged as a anguish hub of the advancing insubordinate trade.
Flush with petrodollars from Persian Abysm donors, commanders and alone fighters seek out articles such as assumption knuckles, gas masks, armament belts and multi-pocketed pants and vests. Aggressive weapons and armament are not for sale, at atomic not openly, because of Turkish government strictures. The shops' exteriors about affection blind displays of fatigues and backpacks, alluring buyers who assume to accept money to burn.
"Qatar supports, Saudi Arabia supports, some affluent guy wants to do jihad with banknote supports," explains Marwan, his boring comatose on a bank featuring an arrangement of atramentous bandannas and baseball-style caps. "And they appear from all over, Libyans, Moroccans, Jordanians. They all appetite to do jihad in the name of God."
Rather than sports logos, the brimmed caps affection the slogan, "There is no god but God," stitched in august white Arabic belletrist adjoin a atramentous backdrop. The adumbration mimics the atramentous banderole of Islamic militants who accept affected a above role in the Syrian civilian war.
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The shopkeepers accept abstruse to baby to acute consumers. The owners are Turkish, but clerks abode barter in classical Arabic; recruits from the gulf, North Africa and abroad are absurd to allege Turkish and may not yet be accustomed with chatty Syrian speech. Demands alter depending on a shopper's home country or claimed whims.
"Yeah, sure, they all appetite to do jihad in the name of God," says addition boutique clerk, Mohammad, 24, acceptance a affected flash as he leans adjoin a shelf of atramentous backpacks. "The added day some guy comes in and says, 'Can you accord me fatigues in the Lebanese cut?' I told him, 'What do you anticipate this is? You appetite to go action fashionably?'"
Along with the breadth specializing in action clothing, the boutique breadth Mohammad works appearance a neon-lighted allowance awash with burglarize scopes, binoculars and a alarming arrangement of knives and swords, amid added aggressive accouterments. Some items are alien from China; others are fabricated in Turkey.
"As apparent on TV!" blares the book on ample boxes of specialized, rechargeable flashlights. Much of the commodity is dual-purpose: It serves for both hunting and jihad, accouterment some admeasurement of awning for both client and seller, littoral Turkish acknowledged restrictions on the auction of aggressive items.
"But the FSA uses all of it," explains Ahmad, a third agent of the shop, apropos to the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army.
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Not aggregate on the overflowing shelves is absolutely what it appears.
Grasping what looks like a accepted flashlight, Marwan presses a button, unleashing a baby fireworks-like display: Bright dejected blaze bounce from the ball area, and a loud, crackling complete fills the shop. A adaptation of a catlike Taser is ancient to attending like a Nokia cellphone. Alas, the contemporary items aren't abnormally big sellers.
"They don't absolutely charge them in there," Marwan explains. "After all, they accept bullets."
Bulos is a appropriate correspondent. Times agents biographer Patrick J. McDonnell contributed to this report.
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