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DEFENSE SECRETARY ASHTON CARTER
SPEAKS
AT A HEARING ON
CAPITOL HILL
US TRAINING ONLY 60 SYRIAN FIGHTERS
TO COMBAT ISIS
DEFENSE
SECRETARY
SAYS
THE PENTAGON IS CURRENTLY TRAINING
ONLY
60 SYRIAN REBELS
TO
FIGHT
AGAINST
ISIS
IN THE MIDDLE EAST
ASHTON CARTER ADMITS THE NUMBER
IS
DUE
TO
STRICT CRITERIA
AND
IS ‘MUCH SMALLER THAN WE HOPED FOR’
BUT
THAT
7,000 POTENTIAL FIGHTERS
ARE
CURRENTLY BEING VETTED
THE OBAMA APPOINTEE
DID TRY
HARD
TO
JUSTIFY
THIS
LOW NUMBER
IN
2014
THE
PENTAGON
ANNOUNCED
THAT
IT
INTENDED
TO
TRAIN
5,000 MODERATE SYRIAN REBELS
A YEAR OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS
CARTER
NOTED
THE NUMBER OF TRAINEES WAS SO SMALL
BECAUSE
OF
STRICT CRITERIA BEING IMPOSED
THIS INCLUDED
SCREENING RECRUITS
TO INSURE
THAT
THEY HAD NO HISTORY OF ATROCITIES
AND
WILLINGNESS
TO
CAMPAIGN IN A WAY THAT
COMPLIES
WITH
LAWS OF ARMED CONFLICT
WAS EVASIVE AND INSISTED THAT THE QUESTION OF WHETHER US-TRAINED SYRIAN REBELS WOULD FIGHT REGIME FORCES OR ONLY ISIS WOULD ONLY BE MADE WHEN “WE INTRODUCE FIGHTERS INTO THE FIELD” |
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VOUS
VOULIEZ EN SAVOIR PLUS SUR LES REBELLES MODÉRÉS SYRIENS
LAST
WEEK THE US GENERAL
RUNNING CENTRAL COMMAND
THE PENTAGON'S MIDDLE EAST ARM
WENT THROUGH HUMILIATING TESTIMONY IN FRONT
OF THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE
IN WHICH
HE HAD TO ADMIT
THAT
THE NUMBER OF SYRIAN REBELS TRAINED
UNDER
A
$500M (£325M) US PROGRAMME
WHO HAD ACTUALLY MADE IT INTO THE FIELD
COULD BE COUNTED
ON THE FINGERS OF ONE HAND
AND
THAT PLANS FOR A SAFE AREA IN
NORTHERN SYRIA
TO PROTECT CIVILIANS
WOULD BE MEANINGLESS
WITHOUT GROUND TROOPS
BUT
HE COULD NOT RECOMMEND
THE COMMITMENT OF US SOLDIERS ON SUCH A MISSION
US HAS
TRAINED ONLY '4 OR 5' SYRIAN FIGHTERS
AGAINST
ISIS
TOP GENERAL
TESTIFIES
SENATORS
APPEAR INCREDULOUS
AND
CALL FOR
A NEW PLAN
AFTER
HEARING NEWS THAT US
MILITARY’S
$500M
EFFORT
HAS RESULTED IN TRAINING OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF FIGHTERS
A $500M
EFFORT
TO TRAIN SYRIAN FORCES AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE
HAS RESULTED IN ONLY A
HANDFUL OF FIGHTERS
ACTIVELY BATTLING THE JIHADI ARMY
THE TOP MILITARY
COMMANDER OVERSEEING THE WAR
HAS
TESTIFIED
“WE’RE
TALKING FOUR OR FIVE,”
GENERAL LLOYD AUSTIN
COMMANDER OF US CENTRAL COMMAND
TOLD
A DISSATISFIED SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
ON
WEDNESDAY
THE
TRAINING INITIATIVE
IS
BARACK OBAMA’S LINCHPIN
FOR
RETAKING SYRIAN TERRITORY
FROM
ISIS
THE PENTAGON
ANTICIPATED
IN LATE 2014
THAT IT WOULD HAVE TRAINED
5,000
ANTI-ISIS SYRIAN REBELS
BY NOW
“THE
PROGRAM IS MUCH SMALLER THAN WE HOPED,”
CONCEDED THE PENTAGON’S POLICY CHIEF
CHRISTINE WORMUTH
SAYING
THERE WERE BETWEEN
100 AND 120 FIGHTERS
CURRENTLY
BEING TRAINED
WORMUTH
SAID
THEY WERE
“GETTING TERRIFIC TRAINING”
THE
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT WOULD SEEK ANOTHER
$600M
TO FUND FIGHTERS
“SLOW MOVEMENT AT THE TACTICAL LEVEL” |
