Most recently Higgins has documented Chinese-made FN6 Manpads in the hands of rebels fighting around Aleppo.

SA-7 Manpads will be waiting, the message said, in a reference to a Russian-made shoulder-launched missile system.

The pirates are said to be using MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defence Systems) and rocket propelled grenades during their attacks.

The optimistic conclusion would be that rigorous military efforts are paying off, and terrorists have less access to MANPADS than they used to.

NBC News reported in late July that the rebel Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, also known as MANPADs.