Obama Drops Syria Training Plan, Shifts to Equipping Fighters
By Justin Sink, Anthony Capaccio
October 9, 2015 — 9:14 AM EDT
Updated on October 9, 2015 — 12:06 PM EDT
* Faltering plan to train, equip rebels has had few results
* Carter cites assistance to Kurdish groups as a model
The Obama administration is abandoning its failed attempt to build and train a rebel force in Syria to take on Islamic State and will focus on equipping selected leaders and providing air support to their units.
The change is a recognition that President Barack Obama’s original plan to train thousands of moderate fighters fell short, producing only a handful of rebels to combat the terror group. The U.S. instead will identify leaders in the region and provide their forces with arms and other support short of missile launchers or anti-tank weapons.
“We’ve has some significant challenges, so we’re going to pause the training where we recruit specific fighters,” Christine Wormuth, undersecretary of defense for policy told reporters Friday in Washington. “Obviously this is a different approach.”
The president’s strategy in the region is being retooled as the U.S. faces a new challenge from Russia’s intervention in the Syrian civil war to defend its ally, President Bashar al-Assad.
The revamped program will provide small arms and ammunition to Arab and Kurdish groups in Syria that are fighting the terrorist group, according to a U.S. official. Some of the leaders selected will be trained to pass information on potential targets for airstrikes to Joint Operating Centers run by the U.S. and allies, according to the official, who asked not to be named discussing details of the plan.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-09/obama-revamping-syria-rebel-strategy-amid-challenge-from-russia
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