Some revealing answers in parliament on UK policy in the Middle East yesterday. See next 7 tweets.
1/ UK has provided £32m for Syria’s armed opposition from 2011-17 (Note the year – 2011). Beneficiaries have apparently included Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham – even these groups the govt refers to as “moderate”. goo.gl/Rzw7Kg 
2/ Govt refuses to answer key question. Gildo was reportedly working for al-Nusra, the al-Qaida affiliate, & UK court case against him collapsed when govt was revealed to support the same group. Ongoing use of term “moderate” in this context is noteworthy goo.gl/bTHJn3
3/ UK govt appears to be refusing to say whether/how many troops it has in Syria. This is suspicious. goo.gl/ywJdLx
4/ UK military personnel and BAE Systems are providing engineering support to Saudi Arabia which helps their warplanes undertake combat missions in Yemen. goo.gl/ECUYeq
5/ Saudi pilots, many of whom are flying combat missions in Yemen, have been trained by the UK for over 30 years. The govt "does not hold information" on how many have flown on combat because this is precisely what they are trained for anyway. goo.gl/mUptU5
6/ Since Sisi seized power in Egypt in 2013 killing hundreds and instituting an increasingly repressive military regime, the UK has trained 56 Egyptian military officers in the UK. goo.gl/Vzs5oR
7/ UK govt: “We cannot categorically state that UK weapons are not in use in Turkish military operations in Afrin”. goo.gl/Ln82Fx
